MUZAFFARABAD, Oct 3: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Cabinet Development Committee (CDC) here on Wednesday approved several new uplift schemes at an estimated cost of Rs3.4 billion, in anticipation of the much hyped Rs20 billion bailout package, reportedly pledged by the federal government.

According to official sources, AJK’s current year Annual Development Programme (ADP) is Rs9.4 billion, whereas the total estimated cost of all projects included in the ADP, commonly referred to as a ‘throw forward’, is Rs67 billion.

The throw forward, sources said, was bound to swell, if adequate funding was not channelled by the federal government in time, for completion of projects as per phasing.

An AJK government team was scheduled to hold a meeting with the federal finance division on Friday afternoon in the same regard, sources said.

The new schemes approved in the CDC meeting include improvement and widening of a 10 kilometre long Batlian Phagwan Sarran Road (at an estimated cost of Rs132.302 million), 10 kilometre Lamnian Reshian Road (Rs140.257 million), phase II of link roads in Muzaffarabad, Hattian Bala and Neelum districts (Rs366.748 million), a Beli Bridge on Jhelum River near Ambore (Rs128.806 million), 4.5 kilometre dual carriage Khaliqabad Road in Mirpur (Rs307.323 million) and a bridge over Jhelum Canal in district Bhimber (146.486 million ).

In the power sector, a scheme for installation of solar system in upper Neelum and remote areas of district Bagh was approved at an estimated cost of Rs210.764 million. The schemes approved in education sector include land acquisition, after up-gradation of 26 colleges was approved (Rs174.54 million), land acquisition for University of Poonch (Rs 282.921 million), and construction of buildings and provision of furniture in seven newly established middle schools in district Sudhnoti (Rs127.473 million).

Some ex-agenda projects were also approved which included completion of remaining construction work of Ruly Hills Scheme under Kotli Development Authority (Rs136.319 million), construction of Block-12 in civil secretariat Muzaffarabad (Rs250 million), construction of Dadyal and Chechian bypasses in district Mirpur (Rs354.431 million and Rs 146.161 million), improvement and widening of Pir Galli to Kala Dab Road and Pir Gali to Pir Godi Roads in district Kotli (Rs217.13 million and Rs290 million, respectively).

According to sources, commencement of these projects depended on provision of the bailout package by the central government. Otherwise, they said, the government would have to shelve or defer these projects.

In keeping with the situation, Prime Minister AKJ, Chaudhry Abdul Majeed was said to have directed the officials at the CDC meeting that only those new projects should be put into the implementation phase, which were indispensable, according to public demand and that too without compromising the existing and ongoing programmes.

An official handout quoted the prime minister as saying that his government had resolved to undertake development work in all areas of the state, without any discrimination and authorities should focus all areas on the basis of equality.

However, he added, remote and comparatively deprived areas would be given priority in this regard.

He directed the electricity department to take measures to install solar panels in remote areas, which had not been electrified as yet or received supply for limited durations.