The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has approved 17 development projects costing Rs 178.3 billion and recommended 6 mega projects for final approval to Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC). Federal Minister and Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Ahsan Iqbal chaired the meeting of the CDWP at P-Block Secretariat on Thursday. Officials from different ministries and provincial governments attended the meeting.
The CDWP approved projects relating to transport & communications, energy, water resources, information technology, higher education, physical planning & housing, health and governance sectors. The CDWP has given go ahead to Right Bank Outfall Drain I, II and III at estimated costs of Rs 17.5 billion, Rs 61.9 billion and Rs 10.8 billion, respectively. The CDWP referred these projects to ECNEC for final approval.
The RBOD-II project was reconsidered by the CDWP in March 2017 wherein the financing mechanism of flood component of RBOD-II was discussed in detail. The Chair referred to the decision made by CCI regarding National Flood Protection Plan wherein the federal government and Sindh government had agreed on 50/50 cost sharing basis. After agreement by the Sindh government to share the flood protection at cost of Rs 7 billion, the project was approved by CDWP in its Thursday meeting. In transport and communication sector, the CDWP recommended three mega projects at cost of Rs 43.2 billion to ECNEC.
The CDWP recommended CAREC (Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation) Corridor Development Investment Program Tranche-I Projects to ECNEC for approval. The project is part of CAREC Corridor road network 5 & 6 which connects Pakistan up north to China and west to Afghanistan, respectively. Rs 24.7 billion Asian Development Bank financed-project envisages improving 208-km of N-55 road in three sections including Petaro to Sehwan section dualisation, 128-km, Ratodero to Shikarpur Section dualization, 44-km, including construction of 2km bypass at Lakhi Town.
The second project that was approved included: construction of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Bridge over the River Indus with guide banks linking N-5 with N-55 including approach roads worth Rs 9.8 billion. The revised project envisages construction of 1.2km and 11.9 meters wide two lanes single carriageway bridge across River Indus, connecting district Ranjanpur (Mithankot), located on the National Highway (N-55), with district Rahim Yar Khan (Chachran), located on the National Highway (N-5).
The scope of work also includes construction of 7.3m wide 30km approach roads, two canal bridges, one railway overhead bridge, river training works, shifting of utilities, guide banks, embankments, raising of marginal bunds, drainage, erosion works along with allied structures and acquisition of land.
Minister PD&R Ahsan Iqbal questioned National Highway Authority official why the project's PC-1 was brought for approval after five years as the hydraulic model study for the project was conducted in 2012. He instructed for constitution of a committee to conduct inquiry and fix responsibility for such delay, saying no such negligence would be tolerated in future.
In transport & communication sector, the CDWP recommended Rs 8.6 billion project of construction of Chitral-Garain Chashma-Doraha Pass Road (82.5km) to ECNEC for final approval. Minister Ahsan Iqbal instructed to recommend this project to ECNEC with its original scope as the project could prove as a major linkage among Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia, serving as an international trade route in future. In physical planning & housing sector, the CDWP approved two projects at cost of Rs 29.4 billion.
It referred the Punjab government's project 'Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Programme' worth Rs 27.2 billion to ECNEC. The project includes transforming the selected urban areas of Sialkot and Sahiwal into green, inclusive, resilient and comparative smart cities with improved livability supporting social and economic growth through improved municipal governance, integrated urban planning, improved service delivery, efficient local mobility and climate-resilient infrastructure and introduction of IT for city service delivery improvement with the framework of Smart City. The chair recommended cost rationalization for this project to be completed with the support of Asian Development Bank.
In this sector, the CDWP has given go ahead to Scaling up of Rural Sanitation through Saaf Suthro Sindh (SSS). The Sindh government's project of Rs 2.2 billion would be financed by Asian Development Bank.
The CDWP further approved two projects in information technology sector worth Rs 2.7 billion. It includes E-Office (basic common applications) replication at divisions of the federal government. The e-office or e-filing system comprises six modules which were developed as pilot project at Ministry of Information Technology, including internal communications & movement of files, human resource management system, inventory & procurement management system, project management system, finance, planning & budgeting, and internal portal. Ahsan Iqbal instructed to ensure CDWP meetings to be held through E-office system in future.
Another IT sector project approved is 'Pakistan Post reform initiatives: automation of post offices.' The proposed project will facilitate Pakistan Post and improve public service at its business outlets. This will also provide value added services including online post stores, mobile card top-ups through mobile companies to Pakistan Post clients in future. The project would be completed through a Korean soft loan.
The Planning Commission Forum approved Rs 104.7 million energy sector project 'Hiring Consultancy Services for Third Party Validation of Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project.
The project will broadly include validation of actual cost incurred under various phases, assessment of cost of various activities as per awarded contracts and evaluation, assessment of delays and cost overrun thereof, in order to determine value for money. Ahsan Iqbal instructed to prepare ToRs to ensure realistic and clear evaluation of the project.
The CDWP approved three projects in health sector at cost of Rs 1.2 billion which include strengthening of Health Services Academy, Islamabad, establishment of safe blood transfusion services project phase II, KP, and establishment of a medical device development centre (MDDC) at NUST.
The CDWP also approved Rs 2.4 billion agriculture project for promotion of olive cultivation on commercial scale in Pakistan, besides giving go ahead to Economic Affairs Division project 'strengthening of external debt management,' worth Rs 64 million. The CDWP also approved three projects at cost of Rs 9.7 billion including Award of Scholarship to Students from Gwadar, Science Talent Farming Scheme and 'Award of 3,000 Allama Muhammad Iqbal Scholarships to Afghan Students.'
Under the project Award of Scholarship to Students from Gwadar, students will be facilitated to get higher education at Pakistan's universities and learn Chinese language abroad. Under the project Award of Allama Muhammad Iqbal Scholarships to Afghan Students', 3000 students would be facilitated to get higher education in Pakistan's universities. The project was extended on the directives of the Prime Minister to facilitate Afghan students. The project also envisages short professional training to Afghan civil servants.