ISLAMABAD, Sept 5: The Planning Commission’s Central Development Working Party on Friday approved 40 development projects worth Rs70 billion, including the Rs32.4 billion Kachhi Canal Project.

Sources told this correspondent that the two-day CDWP meeting was presided over by Secretary Planning Commission Javed Sadiq Malik in the absence of the commission’s chairman Dr Shahid Amjad Chaudhry.

Sources said Dr Chaudhry has resigned, adding that his resignation has been accepted by the government. He had reportedly developed differences with senior finance ministry officials. He reportedly wanted an increased public sector expenditure programme and also did not believe that the present economic policies could generate enough job opportunities for the millions of unemployed people, specially the educated youth.

The Kachhi Canal Project would now be submitted before Executive Committee of the National Economic Council for final approval. The project is located in the Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur districts of Punjab and Dera Bugti, Nasirabad, Bolan, Jhal Magsi districts of Balochistan. The scope of the project includes Regulator at Taunsa Barrage and main canal length of 500 kilometres (300 kilometres in Punjab and 200 kilometres in Balochistan). The project to be completed by June 2007 aims at irrigating 713,000 acres of land. The canal will have a capacity of 6,000 cusecs.

N-5 Highway Rehabilitation Project was also approved by the CDWP at a cost of Rs 13.8 billion. The meeting further approved Rs 5.8 billion procurement of locomotives by Pakistan Railways.

However, the meeting, sources said, deferred Rs. 17.9 billion Raninee Canal Project because of its inadequate feasibility study. The Water and Power Development Authority, sponsors of the project, were told to prepare a fresh feasibility study and submit it in the next CDWP meeting. The project seeks to provide seasonal irrigation supplies 5,155 cusecs of water to 412,400 acres in the Nara Region for agriculture and lakes. It also includes construction of Main Canal, 107 miles branches, distributaries and minor 331 miles and allied structure.

Sources said the meeting rejected the setting up of Motorway Police Driving Institute as it was a provincial subject.

The meeting further approved Primary Girls Education Project at a cost of Rs4.5 billion. Similarly, the meeting approved Rs300 million Sindh Institute of Urology Project.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has submitted the construction of its building at Peshawar which, too, was approved at a cost of Rs231 million.

Although Afghan refugees were returning to Afghanistan, the meeting still approved Rs219 million aid programme for them during the current financial year. Japan has provided a grant for this purpose.

Sources said that two projects relating to procurement of water drilling rigs for Balochistan and the installation of scanning equipment at Karachi and Peshawar were also approved by the CDWP.