ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CWDP) on Friday approved six development projects, mostly of provincial jurisdiction, at a total cost of Rs21.28 billion.

The CDWP meeting presided over by Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal approved projects related to climate change, aviation division and provincial schemes.

Under the current financial rules, the CDWP is empowered to approve projects costing no more than Rs10bn while the projects of higher estimated costs are approved by Ecnec once the CDWP clears them on technical grounds.

The forum approved the Installation of a weather surveillance radar at Multan at Rs6.189bn. The project is sponsored by the Aviation Division for safe air operations through improved weather surveillance and forecasting mechanism.

The CDWP also approved a 250-bed hospital (phase-1) at Skardu. The Ministry of Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs is the sponsoring agency of the project. The project involves a 250-bed tertiary care divisional hospital on 500 kanal in Skardu City.

The meeting also approved the establishment of excellence hubs in the field of renewable energy at Rs1.117bn. The provincial government of Punjab is the sponsoring agency of the project. This project is aimed to introduce two excellence hubs of renewable energy for exploring new avenues given the demand and supply issues in the energy sector.

Likewise, the CDWP approved the construction of a road from Naag to Gichak, (revised) at Rs4.256bn. The provincial government of Balochistan is the sponsoring agency of the project. The project envisages construction of 47.557km long and two-lane wide single-lane carriageway from Naag to Gichak, having a width of 6-meter (three-meter each lane wide) with 1.5-meter wide shoulders on each side, District Panjgur and Washuk, in the Southern Region of Balochistan.

The proposed road will connect Gichak with the mainstream of National Highway (N-85), as well as with Panjgur towards West and to the South with Awaran City. Its connection with Awaran will provide an alternate route to reach Bela and then onwards to Karachi through National Highway (N-25).

The meeting also approved construction of two lanes of D.I. Khan (part of a development package) proposed by the coalition partners in Islamabad at Rs3.097bn. The CDWP also approved a Rs2.086bn project for capacity building and institutional strengthening of the Planning Commission.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2023