Leh expressway may hit a snag

Federal govt backs out from investing in vital project

RAWALPINDI:

The crucial “Leh expressway and flood channel project” pending for the last 14 years may hit a snag again as the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has set four strict conditions for the execution of the project besides asking the Punjab government to arrange a sum of Rs24 billion for the acquisition of land for the project.

The ECNEC has asked the provincial authorities to carry out the environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the project besides finding a private investor for the project costing Rs 81 billion.

The ECNEC has further notified that the estimated cost of Rs24 billion against the land acquisition should be borne by the Punjab government and the federal government will not share the cost of expenditure.

According to sources, after the backing out of the federal government, it will be a herculean task for the provincial government to find a private investor.

The Leh Expressway and flood channel project has been envisaged to avoid the catastrophe of Nullah Leh, as an alternative traffic route and it was formally launched in 2006-07.

However, the successive PPP and PML-N governments did not pursue the project during their respective tenures in the centre and Punjab

The proposed project would not only provide a new alternative traffic route in Rawalpindi but also the sewage treatment plant at Gorakhpur through the open sewage cord trunks of Nala Leh due to the flood channel project and eliminate air pollution due to drainage caused by Nala Leh.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2022.