- Balochistan, South Punjab get key allocations
ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) Monday approved 20 projects worth Rs80.6 billion, with Balochistan’s Mastung district getting a 220-KV Mastung substation while South Punjab also grabbing Rs7.6 billion Southern Punjab Poverty Alleviation Project (SPPAP).
The CDWP meeting, held here with Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Sartaj Aziz in the Chair, was also attended by senior officials from federal and provincial governments.
Out of Rs80 billion projects, five projects worth Rs60.9 billion were referred to ECNEC for further proceedings.
The projects presented for approval included energy, transport and communications, physical planning and housing, science and technology, governance, devolution and area development, industries and commerce, as well as health and mass media.
In the energy sector, a project titled 220-kV Mastung substation along with 220-kV Sibbi-Mastung-Quetta-Loralai double circuit transmission lines worth Rs14.143 billion was referred to ECNEC for further approval.
The main objective of the project is up gradation of existing 132kV Mastung grid station to 220kV level, along with associated transmission lines, to meet with the additional load demand and voltage profile improvement of QESCO area.
CDWP approved four projects in transport and communications, out of which one was referred to ECNEC for approval. The projects include land acquisition, affected properties compensation and relocation of utilities for KKH phase 2 CPEC (Havelian-Thakot) Project (119.681 KM), reconstruction of Manghopir road from Jam Chakro to Banaras (8.10 KM), and construction of flyover and Sakhi Hassan, five star and KDA roundabout along Sher Shah Suri Road, Karachi.
Lastly, reconstruction of Nishtar Road from Teen Hatti to Napier and Manghopir Road from Banaras to Nishtar was approved in CDWP.
In physical planning and housing, 5-MGD Reverse Osmosis Sea Water Plant for Gwadar City was approved in CDWP. The project aims to meet the future of 10.0 MGD by 2020.
In science and technology section, six projects were approved in CDWP out of which one project was referred to ECNEC worth Rs20.9 billion. The projects include Overseas Scholarship for PhD in selected fields; the project envisages PhD level training of 2,000 talented candidates in selected fields to meet the faculty requirement of the already established and newly proposed skills.
In addition, five projects were approved by CDWP including the establishment of College of Nursing, and strengthening of Community Medicine Department at Peoples University of Medical and Health Sciences for Women, Nawabshah at a cost of Rs603 million, and up gradation of synthetic fibre development and application centre (SFDAC).
Other projects include plastic technology centre (PTC) Karachi as a sub-campus of National Textile University at a cost of Rs875.5 million, the establishment of women campus of Kohat University of Science and Technology in Kohat and the establishment of university campus for women at Bannu worth Rs1,958 million, and lastly, the establishment of Institute of Science and Technology, Bahawalpur at a cost of Rs2,290 million .
It is pertinent to mention that most of the development projects will be executed in less-developed areas such as Nawabshah, Sukkur, Kotli, Bahawalpur, Kohat and Bannu.
In governance section, assessing and strengthening the competition regime in Pakistan worth Rs157 Million was approved in CDWP. The major aim is to provide a legal framework to create a business environment based on healthy competition for improving economic efficiency, developing competitiveness and protecting consumers from anti-competitive practices.
In devolution and area development, Rs7.6 billion SPPAP was referred to ECNEC. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the reduction of poverty in Southern Punjab region. The project aims to increase the incomes of poor households by increasing agriculture productivity, improved livelihood opportunities, improve community’s physical infrastructure and level of skills through vocational training, especially for women.
In industries and commerce unit, procurement of three machines for modernisation of the survey of Pakistan, and 1,000 industrial stitching units were approved with costs Rs373.9 and Rs350.5 million respectively.
In health section, three projects were discussed and approved which include Maternal New Born and Child Health (MNCH) programme 2015-2018, MNCH Gilgit-Baltistan and MNCH AJK with costs of Rs862.352, Rs340.374 and Rs1497.901 respectively.
Strengthening of sports infrastructure was approved with a cost of Rs2.9 billion. The project envisages upgrading and strengthening existing sports infrastructure in the country by replacement/provision/up-gradation of various sports facilities in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta and Narowal.
The objectives of the project are to enhance skills of national and international players through the provision of world-class training facilities and holding international, regional and national level sports competitions for almost all indoor and outdoor games.
