ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) recommended $7.2 billion Main Line-I (ML-1) railway project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for further approval.

The CDWP also approved 13 projects at the cost of Rs 36.18 billion and it recommended $7.2 billion ML-1 railway project to the ECNEC for further approval, and also recommended four projects worth Rs184 billion to the ECNEC for consideration. The CDWP met with Planning Commission deputy chairman Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan in the chair at P-Block Secretariat on Saturday.

Secretary Planning Zafar Hasan, senior officials from the Planning Commission and federal ministries/divisions also participated in the meeting, while representatives from provincial governments participated through video conference.

Projects related to energy, physical planning and housing, science and technology, transport and communications, and water resources were presented in the meeting.

The CDWP referred $7.2 billion ML-1 project to the ECNEC for further approval. ML-1 railway project starts from Karachi, passes through Kotri/Hyderabad, Rohri, Multan, Lahore, and Rawalpindi, and terminates at Peshawar.

The line is 1,872 km long, including the 55 km long Taxila-Havelian section and 91 km long Lodhran-Khanewal section.

The project envisages upgrade of ML-1, establishment of a dry port near Havelian Railway Station; upgrade of Pakistan Railway Academy Walton in Lahore; passenger facilities development of important railway stations, including Karachi, Hyderabad and Rohri in Sindh; Multan, Lahore and Rawalpindi in Punjab; Naushehra and Peshawar in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The CDWP meeting approved five projects of Railways Ministry. The first project, "Rehabilitation and Dualization of Karachi Circular Railway Phase 11" at cost of Rs8,705.598 million, second project, "Rehabilitation of Track between Rehmani Nagar and Bakrani Road on Dadu-Habib Kot Section Sukkur Division phase-4" worth Rs1987.478 million, third project namely "Rehabilitation of Track between Baruli and Sohan Bridge on Kundian Attock City Section Peshawar Division phase-1" at cost of Rs1,964.937 million, fourth project, "Re-commissioning of 05 Nos Accidental Diesel Electric Locomotives" valued at Rs1,261 million and fifth project, "Rehabilitation of Track between Sama Satta Bhawalnagar on Sama Satta-Amruka Section" worth Rs3,183.164 million were approved in the meeting.

Two projects related to energy were presented in the meeting. First project, "Establishment of 132kV Grid Station at Bin Qasim Industrial Park (BQIP)" worth Rs1,493.10 million was approved in the meeting.

The object of this project is to provide uninterrupted power supply at affordable rates to Special Economic Zone (SEZ) of Bin Qasim Industrial Park. Second project, "Replacement of LT Bare Conductor with ABC Cable in Peshawar, Khyber and Bannu Circle" worth Rs2,806.4 million also approved in the meeting.

Two projects related to physical planning and housing were presented in the meeting. First project, "Development of Ziarat Town, Balochistan" at cost of Rs1,180.09 million was approved in the meeting.

The project will focus on long-term policies for planned development of the town keeping in view the current scenario and future requirements.

Third project, "Construction of New Campus of Pakistan Institute of Development Economics to function as an apex center of Excellence for Research and Post Graduate Teaching Sector H-11/2 Islamabad" worth Rs4,545.488 million was approved by the CDWP.

Two projects related to science and technology, were presented in the meeting. First project, "Establishment of University of Turbat Phase-11" worth Rs1,456.14 million and second project, "Provision of Missing Facilities at the University of Swabi New Campus Site" worth Rs1,386.462 million both projects were approved in the CDWP meeting. Four projects related to transport and communications referred to the ECNEC in the meeting.

First project, "Construction of 10th Avenue including interchange and under passes at 10th Avenue from IJP Road to Khayban-e-Iqbal Islamabad" worth Rs11.078 billion, second project, "Construction of Hosab-Awaran Khuzdar Section of M-8 project, Package-1 Hoshab- Awaran Lenghth 146 Km" worth Rs26.354 billion, and third project, "Construction of Peshawar Torkham Motorway Project and Link Road Connecting Motorway with N-5 and N-55 as part of Khyber pass Economic Corridor Project" worth Rs76.551 billion, and fourth project, "Feasibility Study and Detailed Engineering Design of Construction of Swat motorway from Chakdara to Fatehpur phase-II - 79.69km" worth Rs70.095 billion, all four projects referred to the ECNEC for further approval.

Two projects related to water resources were presented in the meeting. First project, "Land Acquisition for the project construction of water from Indus River System at Tarbela Dam to the Cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi includes R.C.B & C.C.B" at cost of Rs3,154.671 million, and second project, "Construction of Small storage Dams in District Khuzdar" worth Rs3,056.075 million were approved in the meeting.