ISLAMABAD, Dec 7: The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council on Tuesday approved 32 development projects worth Rs150 billion but deferred approval of the Rs1.42 billion Thal canal remodelling project because of strong opposition from Sindh.

The meeting was presided over by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Dr Salman Shah told newsmen that 41 projects, including nine ongoing projects, worth Rs203 billion had been cleared by the Ecnec.

He said that Ecnec also empowered the government's autonomous bodies to approve development schemes on self-finance basis without the need for approval from the federal government's Central Development Working Party and Ecnec, subject to certain conditions.

However, if a project involves a foreign exchange component requiring federal government guarantees, the projects will have to be cleared by Ecnec. The autonomous bodies would constitute special bodies at their board level and involve one representative each from the planning commission and the finance ministry.

Such bodies' quorum would not be complete without representatives of the planning commission and finance ministry and if the two raised any objection, the project would be referred to the CDWP or Ecnec for final approval.

Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Dr Akram Sheikh said the meeting also decided to constitute a four-member cabinet committee to review projects for timely implementation and smooth flow of funds and to ensure transparency in public expenditure. Names of ministers for the committee would be announced by the prime minister, he said.

Sources said the prime minister deferred approval of the remodelling of Thal canal because of Sindh government's reservations which did not agree to the enhancement of its capacity of 7,500 cusec to 9,000 cusec.

The prime minister directed the minister for water and power and chairman of Irsa to hold a meeting with Sindh authorities to satisfy their concerns and resubmit the project to Ecnec for approval, the sources said.

Dr Salman Shah said Ecnec also approved a Rs480 million project for infrastructure strengthening and capacity-building of the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority by hiring 55 nuclear experts.

He said the 32 new projects approved by Ecnec included a Rs66 billion scheme for lining 86,000 watercourses all over the country. The largest chunk of Rs70 billion was approved for rehabilitation, up gradation and improvement of Wapda's distribution companies and projects worth Rs16 billion in the agriculture sector.

Projects costing about Rs12 billion were approved in the water supply, rural development and physical planning sectors and schemes worth Rs5 billion were approved for environment, governance and health sectors.

He said implementation of the projects over the next three to seven years would create jobs and keep the economic growth on track. He agreed that Ecnec should have held two meetings by now and said that the delayed meeting resulted in the over-crowding of about 41 projects.

Normally, Ecnec takes up 20 to 25 projects for consideration in a routine meeting. He expressed the hope that three meetings of Ecnec would be held by the third quarter of the current fiscal year.

He said an important Rs2 billion project related to measures for livestock sector to prevent foot-and-mouth disease and rinder pest. Secretary Planning Humayun Farshori said a Rs450 million project was approved for infrastructure development of Kohlu district in Balochistan to assist oil and gas companies to start exploration activities.

Responding to a question about the federal government's inability to complete any project within the given timeframe and approved cost over the past five years, the deputy chairman planning commission said the Makran coastal highway had been completed within the approved parameters and the Mirani dam and Mangla Dam raising projects would also be completed on schedule.