CDWP okays upgrading of Peshawar-Karachi transmission line

ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Thursday approved up-gradation of Mainline (ML-1) from Peshawar to Karachi with estimated cost of Rs381.038 billion and referred to Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) with certain observations.

The ML-1 is part of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) but its financing has not yet been finalised. The CDWP approved 24 projects of worth Rs19.6 billion out of which 12 projects worth Rs781.39 billion were referred to ECNEC for further proceeding.

Central Development Working Party meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Sartaj Aziz whereas Secretary Planning Commission Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui accompanied the deputy chairman. Senior officials from federal and provincial governments participated in the meeting. The projects presented for approval includes energy, health, education, manpower, governance, physical planning & housing, science and technology, transport & communications, water resources, agriculture and food, environment, information technology, governance, nutrition, and mass media. In addition, two position papers were presented in the meetings. In Energy Section, three projects were presented out of which two projects were approved and one was referred to ECNEC. The project of “evacuation of power from Suki Kinari, Kohala and Mahl HPP in northern areas” was referred to ECNEC for further approval. The projects approved include, “installation of pilot battery energy storage system” and “Dargai Hydro electric power station”.

In Transport and Communication section, a total of eight projects were presented out of which six were referred to ECNEC and two worth Rs112 million were approved by the CDWP. The projects that are referred to ENCEC include up-gradation of Pakistan Railways existing Main Line-1 (ML1) at the cost of Rs381038 million, dualization of Mardan Sawabi road at the cost of Rs9550 million, construction of Peshawar-Torkham Motorway as part of Khyber Pass Economic Corridor project (KPEC) at the cost of Rs41440.50 million.

In Water Resources sector, a total of five projects were presented out of which three worth Rs1596 million were approved by the CDWP however two projects were sent to ECNEC for further approval. The projects that are referred to ECNEC include “Balochistan Water Resources Development project” worth Rs15526 million and “Toiwar-Batozai storage dam project” worth Rs4905 million. The CDWP approved projects are “Feasibility and detailed design of Baber Kach Dam on Nari River” at the cost of Rs75.072 million, “ Chao Tangi Small Dam in South Waziristan” at the cost of Rs994 million and “land and water monitoring/evaluation of Indus plan by SMO” at the cost of Rs469.271 million.

In Physical Planning and Housing section, a total of four projects of worth Rs2087.5 million were approved by the CDWP. The projects approved are “construction of auditorium hall at Pakistan Marine Academy” worth Rs177.204, “extension of presidential flats cat-IV & V at Pakistan Marine Academy” at the cost of Rs190.345 million, “construction of Joint Intelligence Directorate in NACTA Headquarters Islamabad” at the cost of Rs400 million and “Project Readiness Financing (PRF) for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa intermediate cities improvement investment projects” at the cost of Rs1320 million.

In Science and Technology, total of seven projects were presented out of which six projects of worth Rs6539 million were approved. The approved project are as follow: “establishment of NUST campus at Quetta” at the cost of Rs2622.866 million, “construction of Hostel / Sports Facilities at Karakoram International University” at the cost of Rs316.390 million, “strengthening of University of Peshawar” at the cost of Rs748 million, “Academic and Research Linkages with different countries / agencies under bilateral agreement” at the cost of Rs467 million and “establishment of Space Applications Research Centre, Gilgit Baltistan” at the cost of Rs665 million.

In Agriculture and Food, two projects were presented and approved at the cost Rs1057 million. The projects presented include, “Strengthening / Up-gradation of Agriculture and Livestock Research System of Arid Zone Research Institute, Umerkot Sindh” at the cost of Rs528.592 million and “establishment of Plant Breeders Rights Registry and Strengthening of DUS Examination System” at the cost of Rs528 million.

In Environment Section, a total of three projects were presented out of which two projects were referred to ECNEC and one project of worth Rs1848 million was approved. The projects referred to ECNEC are “strengthening of Early Warning System of Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD)” and “Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Services Project”. The project approved by CDWP is “installation of Weather Surveillance Radar at Multan” at the cost of Rs1848 million.

In Information Technology section, establishment of Pakistan Space Centre was presented by SUPARCO. The total cost of this project is Rs26998.9 million. It was referred to ECNEC for further approval. In governance section, a project of “establishment of Special Protection Unit in AJK” was approved in the CDWP. Total worth of this project is Rs1038 million.

In Health Section, two projects were presented and approved by the CDWP. The total cost of these projects is Rs1328 million. The approved projects are, “Replacement & Up-gradation of HVAC Plant Room Equipments & Allied Works at PIMS, Islamabad” and “Up-gradation of existing facilities of Hepatobiliary and Organ Transplant Centre”.

In Mass Media section, establishment of Sautul Quran FM Network Phase-II was approved by the CDWP. The total cost of this project is Rs138.689 million. In Culture, Sports and Tourism Section, Laying of Synthetic Hockey Turf at Gilgit was approved by the CDWP. The total cost of this project is Rs123.713 million.

In Manpower Section, establishing Centres of Excellence at National Training Bureau, NISTE and Heavy Machinery Operators Facilities at 13 districts were approved by the CDWP. The cost of this project is Rs1801.00 million. In Education Section, establishment of Islamabad Model College for Boys in Pakistan Town was approved by the CDWP at the cost of Rs161.685 million.