ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday expressed concern over slow progress on six development projects worth $963 million being implemented in Punjab through foreign loans, and called for expediting their progress.

Minister for Economic Affairs Omar Ayub Khan presided over a meeting of the National Coordination Committee on Foreign-Funded Projects (NCC-FFP) and reviewed the progress of development projects being implemented by the government of Punjab.

Representatives of the Prime Minister Office, the Ministry of Planning, the Finance Division and the Chairman of Punjab’s Planning and Development Board attended the meeting.

“While reviewing progress of the road sector, the committee specifically emphasised on six slow-moving projects”, an official statement of the MEA said. These slow-moving projects were: a $300 million Punjab Agriculture & Rural Transformation Programme; $50 million Punjab Tourism Growth Project, funded by the World Bank; $275 million Jalalpur Irrigation Project; $200 million Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Project; $120 million Enhancing Public-Private Partnership in Punjab, funded by Asian Development Bank, and $18 million Installation of Weather Surveillance Radar in Multan City, funded by Japan.

Minister stresses significance of Jalalpur irrigation project

At present, 26 projects funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank (WB), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), China, Japan, France and United Kingdom amounting to $6bn are being implemented by the Punjab government in sectors like agriculture & irrigation, energy, road & transport, urban development, tourism, climate change & disaster management, education, health and social protection.

The minister appreciated efforts of the provincial government and line departments for expediting implementation of majority of foreign-funded projects, but noted that important projects like the Jalalpur Irrigation Project would contribute to food security and economic growth through enhanced productivity of agricultural commodities and help alleviate rural poverty and improve the quality of life. The project needs to be completed at all cost, he added.

The chairman of P&D Board, Punjab, reported the project had faced initial delays due to land acquisition issues, but was now picking up pace and would be completed within targeted timelines of first quarter of 2024. Under this project, 200km of new irrigation canals are being constructed in Pind Dadan Khan and Khushab, which will directly benefit over 200,000 villagers. The minister ordered speedy completion of Punjab Agriculture & Rural Transformation Programme as per its revised timelines.

The meeting directed the departments concerned to expedite the finalisation and approval of sub-projects under Punjab Interme­diate Cities Improvement Investment Project. The project targets improving the quality of life of residents in Sahiwal and Sialkot through better urban infrastructure and services delivery.

About Enhancing Public-Private Partnerships in Punjab Project, the provincial government informed the meeting that significant progress had been made on Multan-Vehari Road under PPP modality.

The meeting called for removing all bottlenecks in the way of Punjab Tourism Growth Project and Installation of Weather Surveillance Radar in Multan.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2021