The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Friday approved seven projects worth Rs86.5 billion, which were recommended to it by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP).
CDWP, headed by the Planning Commission deputy chairman, has powers to approve up to Rs1 billion projects and recommend over Rs1 billion projects to Ecnec.
Headed by Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Ecnec approved Masters Leading to PhD Scholarship Programme for students of Balochistan costing Rs3.2 billion, which comes under the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan package, says a handout.
Deliberating the project, the committee observed that many issues were not clear and constituted a committee comprising Planning Commission deputy chairman, prime minister’s adviser on agriculture, representatives of the Balochistan government, secretary interior and representatives of the Higher Education Commission to sort out the issues.
The project is focused on providing opportunities of higher education to under-privileged candidates of Balochistan.
The committee also endorsed Population Welfare Programme 2010-15 at an estimated cost of Rs48.6 billion for Punjab, Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The project was approved despite handing over of the population planning subject to the provinces under the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
The finance ministry handout said Ecnec approved Rs4.9 billion Shagarthang Hydropower Project that would be constructed in Skardu district with a capacity of 26 megawatts.
Another project Jagran-II Hydroelectric Power Station (Phase-II) for generation of 48 megawatts of electricity was also approved at an estimated cost of Rs6.5 billion. France will extend loan for the project.
The committee approved a 20-kilovolt grid station to be constructed at Chiniot. It sanctioned Rs18.2 billion Lowari Tunnel and Access Road Project and doubling of railway tracks from Lodhran to Khanewal via Multan Cantt at a cost of Rs3.7 billion.
Safe City project
The committee decided to request the Supreme Court to expedite hearing of a controversial multi-million-dollar Safe City Islamabad project to decide its fate while turning down the interior ministry’s request to allow project execution without waiting for the judgment.
Ecnec upheld its earlier decision of linking the activation of $125 million (Rs11 billion) project with the outcome of the apex court’s judgment, said the handout.
After finding overpricing, the committee on July 29 reduced the project cost to $124.9 million from the proposed $151.5 million.
A petitioner, Shahid Orakzai, has challenged the project in the Supreme Court, which has held a numbers of hearings on the constitutional petition. The interior ministry wants to install scanners at entry and exit points of the capital city to counter terrorism threats.
The meeting decided that the fate of the project would be finalised in the light of the SC decision. However, it directed the interior ministry to keep the loan active with China’s Export Import Bank for the project, the finance ministry said.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 12th, 2011.
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