ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Monday approved three development projects worth Rs13 billion, while recommending a project worth Rs108.5 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for further consideration.
The meeting was presided over by Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan, in the presence of Secretary Planning Abdul Aziz Uqaili, senior officials from Planning Commission and federal ministries/division, with provincial representatives joining via video link.
Projects related to governance, Higher Education Commission (HEC), mass media/ CSTY, physical planning and housing, and transport and communication sectors were presented at the meeting.
The forum approved a governance related project named “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Spending Effectivity for Enhanced Development (SPEED) (IDA Assisted)” worth Rs2.572 billion.
HEC project “Upgradation of University College of Engineering & Technology Mirpur into Mirpur University of Science & Technology, Mirpur (Prime Minister of Pakistan Directive)” worth Rs1.890 billion was approved at its original approved cost. Directions were given to complete the project by the end of the current financial year.
CDWP also approved “Punjab Tourism for Economic Growth Project (PTEGP)” worth Rs8.525 billion. The scope of the project includes connectivity roads for improving access to and within the following tourism destinations and heritage sites: Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, Gurdwara Rori Sahib, Gurdwara Sacha Sauda, Katas Raj Temples, Lahore Museum, Mankiala Stupa, Taxila Museum, Bibi Jawindi, Darbar Khawaja Ghulam Fareed, Qila Kohna Qasim Bagh, Rohtas Fort, Badshahi Mosque and Taxila Buddhist Circuit.
The project would provide support for destination planning and identification of scalable investment particularly for the private sector through Destination Investment and Management Plans (DIMP), Integrated Site Management Plans (ISMP), and Museum Management Plans (MMP).
Other major components include tourism promotion, outreach, marketing, capacity building of relevant departments, training of 10,000 youth in tourism-related trades, public convenience facilities and other tourism-related infrastructure such as restrooms, tourist facilitation centres, food, and health/emergency facilities. The existing legal, regulatory, and institutional frameworks would also be reviewed and updated for creating an enabling environment for the private sector.
The meeting recommended “Kharian to Rawalpindi Motorway” worth Rs108.410 billion to the ECNEC for further approval. The National Highway Authority and RDA were directed to coordinate and come up with an agreed way forward for Rawalpindi Section Interchange.
The location of the project is District Gujrat, Jhelum, Rawalpindi, in Punjab, and the executing agency is NHA. This project envisages construction of 117.20km, four lanes access-controlled motorway from Kharian to Rawalpindi.
This new motorway facility would be an extension of the currently operational Lahore-Sialkot Motorway and under construction Sialkot-Kharian Motorway. The project initiates from the junction interchange near Kharian on Sialkot-Kharian Motorway and terminates at TChowk near Rawalpindi/Islamabad.
The proposed motorway traverses parallel to the N-5, passing the populous areas of Jhelum, Mangla, Dina, Sohawa, Gujar Khan, Mandra and finally terminating near Rawat at T-Chowk (Junction of Islamabad Expressway with N-5).
Keeping in view the traffic volumes, the project motorway was designed as a four lane access controlled facility, which would be expanded to six lanes as per level of service (LOS) requirements. It would include an Intelligent Transport System (ITS) for safer and more efficient use of the road. The design is based on NHA specifications. The alignment/route of the motorway facility is selected keeping in purview future connectivity to other planned facilities or expansions.
