CDWP okays six projects of Rs21b

The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Friday approved six development projects worth Rs21.28 billion in a meeting chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal.

The forum considered four projects related to the Ministry of Climate Change, Aviation Division and provincial schemes.

It approved the installation of a weather surveillance radar in Multan at a cost of Rs6,188.759 million, establishment of a 250-bed hospital in Skardu at a cost of Rs6,045 million, establishment of excellence hubs for renewable energy at a cost of Rs111.403 million, construction of a road from Naag to Gichak at a cost of Rs4,255.591 million, construction of two lanes for DI Khan (DI Khan development package) at a cost of Rs3,097.045 million and capacity building and institutional strengthening of Planning Commission at a cost of Rs2,086.299 million.

The Ministry of Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs is the sponsoring agency of the project for installation of weather surveillance radar in Multan.

In another project, the 250-bed hospital in Skardu will be constructed on land measuring 500 kanals. After completion of the project, patients of all four districts of Baltistan region, tourists and army authorities will benefit and it will save a significant amount of public money being spent on travel for treatment of patients in far-off health facilities.

The hospital will provide state-of-the-art tertiary healthcare facilities at the doorsteps of patients. Currently, there is a 190-bed Regional Headquarter hospital in the Baltistan Division.

For the establishment of excellence hubs of renewable energy costing Rs111.403 million, the provincial government of Punjab is the sponsoring agency.

The project is aimed at introducing two excellence hubs of renewable energy for exploring new avenues keeping in view the demand and supply issues in the energy sector.

The primary function of an excellence hub is the availability of trained manpower in the market by imparting technical training along with the promotion of renewable energies, which includes the counselling of companies, testing of equipment and machinery, start-up support and information sharing.

CDWP also approved the construction of a road from Naag to Gichak at a cost of Rs4,255.591 million. The provincial government of Sindh is the sponsoring agency of the project.

It envisages construction of a 47.557km-long and two-lane-wide single-lane carriageway from Naag to Gichak, having width of six metres (three-metre-wide each lane) with 1.5-metre-wide shoulders on each side, in district Panjgur and Washuk in the southern region of Balochistan.

The proposed road will connect Gichak with the main stream of National Highway (N-85) as well as with Panjgur towards West and with Awaran city to the South.

Its connection with Awaran will provide an alternative route to Bela and then onwards to Karachi, the economic hub of Pakistan, through the National Highway (N-25).

Its scope of work includes earthwork, sub-base and base, pavement structures, construction of bridges and culverts, drainage and ancillary works, retaining/ breast walls, along with allied structure.

The meeting was attended by the secretary planning ministry, chief economist, members of the Planning Commission and representatives of various ministries and divisions.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2023.

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