PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has approved 21 development projects with an estimated cost of Rs5.93 billion in the province, with a major of chunk of Rs2 billion to be spent on construction of water supply schemes.

The approval was given in a meeting of the Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) chaired by Additional Chief Secretary Khalid Pervez here on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by the administrative secretaries and senior staff of different government departments.

According to a handout, the approved projects include establishment of poultry diseases investigation and vaccines production centre in Peshawar at a cost of Rs50 million; construction of Khan Abdul Wali Khan Multiplex in civil secretariat, Peshawar, at a cost of Rs394 million; water supply scheme Risalpur, Nowshera, Rs113 million; construction of water supply schemes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at a cost of Rs2 billion and completion of 23 incomplete water supply schemes at a cost of Rs329 million.

Other projects and allocations are: establishment of government girls’ high school (GGHS) Comboh, GGHS Dir Colony, GGHS Hasan Garhi and rehabilitation of GHS Nanakpura in PK-I, Peshawar, at a cost of Rs152 million; construction of office and residential building at Shishi Hydel Station, Chitral, Rs51 million; consultancy to study and examine the transfer of Pesco management to the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Rs10 million; PC-II for establishment of tax facilitation centres and excise offices in four districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rs21 million; construction of food directorate Rs139 million, purchase of 61 kanals and 18 marlas land for GDC, Nowshera, Rs13 million; provision of funds as non-ADP scheme at a cost of Rs11 million; revised PC-I for impact assessment/validation of de-radicalised emancipation programme Rs263 million; and construction of building for second GCMS at Mardan Rs231 million.

Also included in the new projects are the special initiatives programme for Nowshera district at a cost of Rs200 million; reforms initiative in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Project Management Unit for implementation of Ehtesab Commission Rs58 million; PC-II for the work “designing/feasibility” of improvement and rehabilitation of 15km Dodba to Sheringal Sawni PDWP approves Rs5.9bn development projects road, including three bridges and construction of RCC bridge at Kotkay union council Sultankhel Rs9 million.

Besides, Rs116 million has been allocated for rehabilitation and improvement of road network and widening of eight kilometre road from Utmanzai branch to Mirabad Pul via Sarki Shakh No. 5 Phase-II, Charsadda district; Rs694 million for development works under Swabi package; construction of RCC bridge at Kaudaro in (PK-27) Mardan, at a cost of Rs72 million; and improvement and widening of Malang Baba-Nizampur Road, Nowshera, at a cost of Rs965 million.

Approval of the project ‘energy audit of civil secretariat and conversion to solar electrification’ was deferred with the instruction to the department to propose it on pilot basis for only one department. The PDWP will meet again on May 15 to consider the remaining six projects on the agenda.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2014