LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to withdraw the Rawalpindi Ring Road Project from the public-private partnership authority (P3A).

The decision has been taken in the public-private partnership policy and monitoring board’s 8th meeting chaired by Chief Minister Usman Buzdar at his office on Thursday.

The meeting decided to start the Rawalpindi Ring Road Project in PC-I mode with the resources of the Punjab government. The meeting also decided to withdraw the Kharian-Dinga Road project from the public-private partnership portfolio.

The chief minister directed to early resolve the matters relating to the projects. Revised project proposals of Multan-Vehari Road and Faisalabad-Chiniot-Sargodha Road were also approved along with the endorsement of the revised proposal of the water meters project in Lahore. Upon a request of the PITB, the meeting recommended giving the implementation authority of citizens’ facilitation centres, to be established in different cities, to P3A.

The citizens’ facilitation centres would be started in PC-I mode in Lodhran, Chakwal, Sialkot and Rahim Yar Khan.

The CM directed to complete the projects according to their respective timelines while fulfilling the formalities. Decisions made in the 7th meeting were also endorsed by the participants while public-private partnership cell member Quratul Ain Memon briefed about the progress on development projects.

Provincial C&W Minister Sardar Asif Nakai, Adviser Dr Salman Shah, the chief secretary, ACS (Home), secretary housing, chairman P&D, administrative secretaries, authority’s CEO and others attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2021