Ecnec approves Rs134b development projects

ISLAMABAD: The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) under chairmanship of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday approved development projects worth Rs134 billion for various sectors.

Ecnec in its meeting  at the Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday approved seven development projects for various areas in the country.

Ecnec considered and approved the Punjab Tourism for Economic Growth Project. The project aims at promotion of religious and domestic tourism by providing infrastructure facilities like wide access roads, tourism facilitation, provision of rest areas and other public convenience facilities along with providing training to tourism related persons in various cities of Punjab. These include Lahore, Gujranwala, Taxila, Nankana, Sheikhupura, Narowal, Bahawalpur, Chakwal and Mithan Kot etc. The total cost of the project is Rs5,775 million.

The CAREC Corridor Development Investment Programme was discussed and approved by Ecnec at a cost of Rs21041 million. The project aims at dualisation and rehabilitation of 208 KMs of three road sections on the N-55 in the provinces of Sindh (Petaro to Sehwan & Ratodero to Shikarpur-dualisation work) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Darra Adam Khel to Peshawar-Rehabilitation Work).

The Dualisation and Improvement of Sohawa-Chakwal Road project also received Ecnec’s nod of approval. The project which will cost Rs7,980.475 million envisages improvement of 66.405 Km long existing road to a width of 7.3 meters (2-lanes carriage way) and construction of additional 7.3 meters wide road (2-lanes carriageway) to make it dual carriageway besides provision of allied facilities and structures. After consideration, the Ecnec approved construction of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Bridge over River Indus (Distts of Rahim Yar Khan & Rajanpur) with guide banks linking N-5 with N-55 including approach road at a cost of Rs9,304.160 million.

The project regarding extension of Right Bank Outfall Drain from Sehwan to Sea, (RBOD-II), distts Jamshoro and Thatta, Sindh was also approved by Ecnec at a cost of Rs61.985 billion.

Ecnec discussed and approved the Lower Indus Right Bank Irrigation and Drainage Project at a cost of Rs17,505.018 million. RBOD-I project is part of master plan with aim to disposing off effluents from the right bank of Sukkhur and Guddu Barrage commands in Sindh.

Ecnec also approved the project of Balochistan Effluent Disposal into RBOD-III (Location: Nasirabad, Jaffarabad, Balochistan and Jacobabad, Kambir, Shahdad Kot (Sindh) at a cost of Rs10,804.540 million. The project aims at providing disposal facilities for waterlogged areas in Sindh and Balochistan to increase agricultural production.