MUZAFFARABAD:The development committee of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) cabinet on Saturday approved different projects worth about Rs1.72 billion.

According to a press release, the cabinet development committee (CDC) meeting was held in Kashmir House Islamabadwith Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider in the chair. It was attended by 10 members of the state cabinet in addition to the relevant civil servants.

The projects approved included improvement and reconditioning of Kotli-Gulpur-Kairot Road at a cost of Rs579.4 million and construction of 138-km-long roads at a cost of Rs1.14 billion in 13 constituencies of the AJK Legislative Assembly along the Line of Control (LoC) under first phase of a package for Indian shelling affected areas.

The meeting was told that 800 bunkers would also be constructed under the same phase with the cooperation of the Pakistan army.

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Haider expressed gratitude to the government and the armed forces for approval and subsequent provision of funds for the LoC package, which he said had been prepared by the AJK government and Pakistan army in coordination with each other.

All projects under the package had been worked out keeping in view the “defence and security needs” and were of great significance and utility for the 610,000 people living within five kilometre radius of the restive dividing line, he said.

The AJK government, he claimed, had also simultaneously launched several development projects in areas along the LoC under its own annual development programme.

He informed the meeting that the second phase of the central government sponsored package would also be initiated soon.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2021