The Punjab Provincial Development Working Party (PPDWP) approved six development schemes of various sectors with an estimated cost of Rs 1157.073 million. The schemes were approved in the 33rd meeting of PPDWP of current fiscal year 2016-17. Provincial Secretary P&D Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, members of the Planning & Development Board, provincial secretaries concerned and other senior representatives of the relevant departments also attended the meeting, a spokesperson of P&D department said on Friday.
The spokesman said the approved development schemes included the schemes of public buildings sector titled establishment of regional campuses of management & professional development department at Multan and Rawalpindi (Umbrella PC-1) at the cost of Rs 1024 million and public-private partnership (PPP) sector titled feasibility study for hiring of transaction advisory services for Rawalpindi ring road (RRR) (PC-II) at the cost of Rs 22.500 million, construction of wastewater treatment plant near Madhuana Drain Faisalabad City (PPP mode) (PC-II) at the cost of Rs 20 million, feasibility study for the project:-dualization of Sheikhupura-Gujranwala road, length 43-km under PPP mode (PC-II) at the cost of Rs 23.178 million, feasibility study for the project: dualization of Faisalabad-Sargodha road from Faisalabad by-pass to Chiniot, length 20-km under PPP mode (PC-II) at the cost of Rs 10.539 million and feasibility study for the project: dualization of Khanewal-Lodhran road (from Chowk Niazi Khanewal to Super Chowk Lodhran), length 98-km under PPP mode (PC-II) at the cost of Rs 56.856 million.
Since three schemes of road sector, the spokesman said the vision for Punjab's road sector aims at upgrading, augmenting and maintaining a modern road network in the province under most cost-effective, optimal and efficient development and management regimes. Strategic interventions of the sector include: connectivity of strategic assets with provincial and national road networks; undertaking improvements in road design and specifications, improvement of existing roads geometry; and development, rehabilitation and up-gradation of urban road network in mega cities.
It may be noted that during FY 2016-17, an amount of Rs 85 billion was allocated for the road sector. The total number of schemes in the FY 2016-17 is 719, out of which the road sector focuses on completion of 610 ongoing schemes. Targets and Major Initiatives fixed for 2016-17 included: completion of schemes pertaining to Khadim-e-Punjab Rural roads Programme Phase-III and Phase IV, up-gradation of road research and material testing institute and building research stations, construction of access road from Lahore-Sheikhupura-Faisalabad Road to Bhikhi Power Plant, metalled road from Sheikhupura Interchange (M-2) to QAAP along Motorway, road from Mian Wala Ghat (Jamber-Chunian Road) to Balloki Power Plant and Qadirabad Power Plant, metalled road from Chichoki Malian Railway crossing to QAAP near Bamban Kalan of length 3.30 Km.
"Strategies for road sector development in the province have been focusing on consolidation and maintenance of the existing assets, which include a vast network of provincial highways, intra & inter district roads, and the communication links comprising rural access and farm-to-market roads. In addition, the province's road sector development portfolio also includes major urban and intra city road projects," sources said.