The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved nine mega development projects worth Rs 361 billion including 306-kilometer long Hyderabad-Sukkur motorway.
The meeting of ECNEC, headed by the Finance Minister, Shaukat Tarin was held virtually on Wednesday. ECNEC gave the approval of a 306-kilometer long Hyderabad-Sukkur motorway to be built with the support of the private sector.
The CPEC route that passes through Islamabad-Lahore motorway (M2), Pindi Bhattian-Faisalabad-Multan motorway (M4), Lahore-Abdul Hakeem-Multan-Sukkar-Hyderabad-Karachi motorway connects the ports of Karachi and Gwadar. The Hyderabad-Sukkar motorway was a missing link here.
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The government approved the provision of Rs 92 billion from the budget and through toll taxes to make this project feasible and lucrative for the private sector.
ECNEC approved the Gomal Zam Multipurpose Project at the revised cost of Rs 25.9 billion. The project is situated at the Gomal River, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The purpose of the project is to produce electricity from the flood water and to provide irrigation water of 848 cusecs to irrigate 219192 acres of land that falls under the Warman Canal System.
ECNEC approves other development projects worth billions of rupees
The meeting of ECNEC also approved the Covid-19 Response and other Natural Calamities Control Program (Sind Component) worth Rs 20.8 billion. The project is aimed at strengthening the provincial health system to respond to the pandemic-like condition at THQ and DHQ hospitals. The meeting also gave the approval of the 30-megawatt Chowari hydropower project, worth Rs 16.4 billion.
Another hydropower project, Hazel, Gilgit was also given approval which cost Rs 12.9 billion. The approval of the construction of the Hoshab-Kgusdar section of the M-8 project; Section 2 of Awaran-Naal of 168 kilometer, worth Rs 32.2 billion was also given by the ECNEC.
The KPK Provincial Roads Rehabilitation Project under PKHA Portfolio was given approval at the cost of Rs 28.2 billion. Finance Minister directed the Planning Commission to prioritize the projects which were strategically important or could be completed in limited time to save the exchequer from cost overrun and unnecessary delays.
