ISLAMABAD: A total of six development projects involving a cumulative estimated cost of Rs133.5 billion were cleared by the Central Development Work­ing Party (CDWP) on Monday.

The CDWP meeting, presided over by Deputy Chair­man Planning Commission Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan and attended via video link by provincial authorities, approved two projects worth Rs466.26 million and recommended four larger projects worth Rs133bn to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) for approval.

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

The CDWP approved projects worth Rs466 million related to Physical Planning & Housing. These included ‘Construction of Admin Block, Magazine Quarter Guard, Barracks, MT Shed, Horse Stable & Parade Ground in Diplomatic Enclave, Islamabad’ at a cost of Rs280m and ‘Construction of four B-type Police Stations in various Sectors of Islamabad’ at a cost of Rs185.416m.

Two major projects referred to the Ecnec for approval involved around $471m financing from the World Bank and while another project pertained to Chinese financing under the China-Pakistan Econo­mic Corridor (CPEC).

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2020