ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has approved 38 development projects costing Rs244.5 billion for the socio-economic uplift of the country.
The CDWP which met here with Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal in the chair considered 42 development projects and approved 38 of them, which also included the Pak-China railway line and Lahore-Karachi Motorway projects.
The projects approved with foreign exchange component of Rs68 billion covered energy, water resources, education, governance, science and technology, social welfare and agriculture sectors.
Addressing the meeting, Ahsan Iqbal directed that all project proposals should be put up on the website for scrutiny by experts and citizens to ensure transparency in development programmes. He directed the Ministry of Water and Power and the Wapda chairman to set up an expert advisory group for helping provinces to prepare small hydro power projects. He asked the ministry to expedite the investment policy for private sector to invest in small hydro power projects as the availability of funds in public sector was limited and constrained. “We must promote private sector in energy sector. If there is a pro-private sector policy we may harness more than 30,000MW power by developing small dams in northern areas of Pakistan,” the minister said.
Ahsan Iqbal directed the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) to develop key performance indicator to achieve universal primary education as achieving 100 per cent literacy was critical for Pakistan s future. He said in the past human and social capital was ignored and today the country was paying a big price for that mistake. “Knowledge energy and infrastructure sectors are critical for future development of the country,” he added.
Ahsan Iqbal directed the Ministry of Planning and Development to ensure discipline in project management. A committee was formed with representatives of all the provinces, AJ&K and Gilgit-Baltistan to make recommendations on eliminating wastage in development projects and streamlining the procedure in developing sector.
The CDWP approved the Pakistan China Economic Corridor feasibility study for 700 kilometres rail track to connect Gwadar to Karachi and rail track from Gwadar to Basima and Basima to Jacobabad via Khuzdar measuring 1,048 kilometres. The feasibility study for new rail from Havelian to Pak-China border was also approved. The feasibility study for Karachi-Lahore 1,160 kilometres Motorway and Muzaffarabad-Mirpur Mangla N-5 Expressway were also approved. A project costing Rs400 million to upgrade Larkana Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy was also approved. A project costing Rs880 million for construction of Abbas Institute of Medical Science Muzaffarabad AJ&K (Phase-II) was also approved. Three projects for construction of barracks for Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts were approved. Chao Tangi Small Dam in South Waziristan Agency costing Rs798 million, construction of Palai & Kundal Dam district Charsadda costing Rs999 million, flood protection on River Chenab at Muzaffargarh-Khangarh Bund costing Rs395 million, feasibility study for construction of Bhimber Dam project AJ&K with the cost of Rs86 million, construction of Shadi Kaur Storage Dam with cost of over Rs6 million and revised project of Kachhi Canal costing 57 billion rupees which will irrigate 100,000 acres of land in Dera Bugti were approved.
In the energy sector Harpo Hydro Power Project costing Rs11.6 billion, Dubair Khawar Hydro Power Project costing Rs27 billion, Distribution Rehabilitation Energy Loss Reduction Project (ELR) of Pesco with the cost of Rs7.8 billion, Power Distribution Expansion (DOP) of Pesco costing Rs17 billion, Land Acquisition Project for Dasu Hydro Power Project, establishment of Hydro Power Training Institute (HPTI) at Mangla costing Rs568 million, refurbishment and upgradation of generating units of Mangla Power Station and enhancing the capacity from 1,000MW were also approved.
The CDWP also approved the Rs50 billion 1,310MW Power Distribution Enhancement Investment Programme, over 160 million dollars construction of 35MW Nagdar Hydro Power Project costing Rs7 billion and construction of Dowarian Hydro Power Project. The project for establishment of Federal Government College of Home Economics and Management Sciences and a project for improving human development indicators and literacy through NCHD for Rs13 billion were also approved. A project to improve agriculture growth in Sindh costing Rs9 billion and project of nutrition support for Sindh with the cost of Rs4 billion were also approved by the CDWP.
