ISLAMABAD, April 18: The Planning Commission has cleared 18 major development projects worth Rs32.1 billion which would now be formally approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) here on April 22.

Official sources told Dawn on Tuesday that the ECNEC meeting to be presided over by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz would ensure that the finance division releases funds well in advance for new development projects.

The objective, sources said, was to remove the objections of the ministries, divisions and the provincial departments about the delay in disbursement of funds that invariably results in cost escalation of projects.

The government has been advised by its economic advisors to avoid increase in the budget deficit due to various reasons, including an enormous increase in the cost of hundreds of development projects every year.

The new development projects are in the energy, health, higher education, physical planning & housing, rural development/area development, social, transport and communication sectors.

Five of the development projects for Karachi have especially been cleared by the Planning Commission which include a bridge over the Malir River connecting Shah Faisal Colony with Korangi sector-10 (Rs6.2 billion), establishment of accident and ancillary services complex at the Civil Hospital Karachi (Rs1.4 billion), construction of Sohrab Goth interchange at the intersection of Shahrah-i-Pakistan and Rashid Minhas Road (Rs579.95 million), institutional enhancement to implement the Karachi Mega City Development project (Rs1.1 billion) and provision of MRI and CT scanners for the Civil Hospital Karachi.

Other projects are a Japanese-assisted rural road construction project (Rs9.8 billion), improvement and refurbishing of existing sewerage treatment plants (Rs2.7 billion), Fulbright Scholarship Support Programme (Rs7 billion), National Tuberculosis Control Programme 2005-10 (Rs1.1 billion), construction of the Sibi Rakhni Road (Rs1.4 billion), widening and remodelling of roads and intersection of the Islamabad International Airport to the Flying Club Rawalpindi (Rs1.2 billion), procurement of fire-brigades for Islamabad, the Kala Dhaka Development Project, transmission scheme for dispersal of power from the 2x50mw windmill power plant at Mirpur Sakro, the Kohistan Development Project, the Indus Highway Project (N-5 Phase III) and strengthening of the Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences.