LAHORE: The Punjab government approved on Wednesday 16 development schemes of various sectors with an estimated cost of Rs9.58 billion.

Presided over by Punjab Planning and Development Board Chairman Irfan Elahi, the 16th meeting of the Provincial Development Working Party of 2014-15 fiscal year approved upgrading or establishment of Lab Schools in GCET’s (provision of missing facilities) at a cost of Rs533.254 million; upgrading of ICU and operation theaters of Nishtar Hospital, Multan, with a sum of Rs350m; replacement of pumping machinery at Inline Booster Pump Station and Terminal Reservoir in Faisalabad at a cost of Rs1.64 billion; laying of forcemain from Bhogiwal disposal station Chotta Ravi drain to Shalimar escape channel across Lahore Ring Road with a sum of Rs368.762m and sewerage scheme at Depalpur city in Okara district at a cost of Rs300.355m.

The approved road sector schemes included widening and improvement of Bypass Khan Musalman to Jagowala Nowshera Virkan (length 17.50kms) at Gujranwala at a cost of Rs459.562m; construction of double road from Gujrat-Jalalpur Jattan Road to University of Gujrat (length 2.14kms) with a sum of Rs263.085m; widening and improvement of road from Pirkot Khaliana to Chela to Rajana to Khan Da Kot to Guniana (length 45kms), Jhang, at a cost of Rs555.594m; improvement of road from Pir Mahal Darkhana Road to Shorkot Cantt-Toba Road through Chak No321-GB, 323-GB, 321-GB, 325-GB, 326-GB (length 20kms), Toba Tek Singh, at a cost of Rs307.962m and dualization of inter-city road in Pir Mahal city, (length 2.87kms), Toba Tek Singh at a cost of Rs247.374m.

The meeting also approved widening and improvement of Palace Road from Pull Dari Sangi to UAE Palace (length 15.50km) at Rahim Yar Khan with a sum of Rs2.62 billion; construction and extension of Pattan Minara Manthar Road (length 26.25kms) at Rahim Yar Khan at a cost of Rs398.557m; widening and improvement of road from Mubarakpur to Jhangara Sharqi (length 25kms) in Bahawalpur at a cost of Rs470.240m; widening and improvement of road from Iqbalnagar to Dulwan (length 26.10kms) in Khanewal district at a cost of Rs352.412m; widening and improvement of Fatehpur to Nawankot Road (length 32.50kms) in Layyah district at a cost of Rs448.21m and construction of first part of southern by-pass Shujabad-Multan from river bank of Chenab to Pull Syed Wali Siyalan Wali through Khangarh Road and Canal Bank towards north side to connect existing Multan Road (length 9.20kms) in Shujabad tehsil with a sum of Rs258.809m.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd , 2014