LAHORE: Provincial Minister for Works and Communication Sardar Muhammad Asif Nakai has said that construction and rehabilitation of roads in South Punjab areas including Bahawalpur, DG Khan and Multan would be started on priority basis under the Rural Accessibility Programme (RAP) Phase-2 and for this purpose a huge amount had already been allocated in ADP 2019-20.
He disclosed this during the meeting of the Provincial Steering Committee held under the Chairman and Co-Chairman of Minister C&W Sardar Muhammad Asif Nakai and Finance Minister Hashim Jawan Bakht to review the progress of 'Naya Pakistan Manzalen Asaan' program phase-2.
He said that work on these schemes could not be launched due to stringent pecuniary issues and Covid-19. In order to propagate this flagship program, RAP schemes have been now included in ADP 2020-21. The secretary C&W briefed both ministers that to provide better communication and transportation facilities to the underprivileged rural areas, phase-1 of RAP stands completed and the phase 2 will be launched soon.
On this, Asif Nakai stressed upon immediate implementation of the phase-2 of the Naya Pakistan Manzalen Asaan program. He said the new schemes in south region will be a ray of hope for the deprived people of that area.
He appreciated the efforts of the department on developing a proper mechanism for the identification of roads on the basis of the Human Development Index, classification of districts and length of roads. To give economy a boost, it is important to link all the districts to CPEC and other economic zones. The PTI government will make sure that the funds would be spent for the development of the same district for which it would be released, he added.
The finance minister purposed to make a comprehensive report on the issues management faced during the implementation of phase-1 and suggested to consider those during the next phase to avoid the problems.
He also said to review the development percentage of construction and rehabilitation of roads, as the rehabilitation of dilapidated roads is more important.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
Comments
Comments are closed.