ISLAMABAD – Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC)has approved four major projects at a cost of nearly Rs. 250 billion in ameeting held today at the Cabinet Block with Adviser to the Prime Ministeron Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh in the chair.
The meeting discussed a proposal for the construction of the Lodhran-MultanSection (North Bound 62 kms) of N-5 and construction of 2 flyovers atRailways Crossing at Lodhran Bypass and approved the project at a cost ofRs. 12.434 billion.
The project is to be completed in 24 months. 2 flyovers along with threeinterchanges at Super Chowk and Permit ChowkLodhran and an interchange atBahawalpur Chowk Multan will also be built.
Besides, four minor bridges, as well as reconstruction & widening ofculverts and urban area improvement at BastiMalook, Multan City, and LarrTown, would also be carried out under the project.
The reconstruction of existing two-lane northbound and construction offlyovers, interchanges, and area improvements would help reduce traffichazards and congestion on the project road and after completion of theproject, a safe, reliable, and efficient road facility would be availableto the commuters.
The ECNEC also approved a project titled ‘Punjab Human Capital InvestmentProject’ at a cost of Rs. 32 billion to strengthen primary healthfacilities, introduce conditional cash transfer programs to encourage thepoor to access health and nutrition support, support economic inclusion forthe young parents with children for poverty alleviation and expand andstrengthen early childhood education.
The project to be completed in five years would be rolled out in 11less-developed districts of Punjab, including Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur,Bhakkar, Dera Ghazi Khan, Khushab, Layyah, Lodhran, Mianwali, Muzaffargarh,Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur.
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The ECNEC also considered and approved Khyber Pakhtunkhwa IrrigatedAgriculture Improvement Project (KP-IAIP) at a cost of Rs. 30 billion forimprovement of 14,260 watercourses, installation of 10,000 acreshigh-efficiency irrigation system, construction of 5000 water storagetanks, provision of 500 laser land levelers, capacity building, strategicstudies, and value addition, and project management and monitoring.
The project is to be completed in six years and will be rolled out in all26 districts of the province.
The ECNEC also considered the DiamarBasha Dam Project (Acquisition of landand resettlement) and accorded in-principle approval to the project withthe instruction to the Planning Division to further rationalize the cost onthe pay and allowances component of the project.
Under the project to be completed at a cost of Rs. 175.43 billion, 30,350people being displaced from 4,102 households of the project area would beresettled while land spread over 35,924 acres would also be acquired.
Besides, provision of health facilities, the establishment of educationalinstitutions and improvement, implementation of Cultural HeritageManagement Plan, Fisheries Management Plan, Camp Management Plan,Livelihood Interventions, social safety net, business restoration plan, andsocio-economic research studies would also be undertaken and completedunder the project.
