23 uplift projects worth Rs 317bn gets approval

Islamabad: Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec), which met here with caretaker Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro, accorded approval to 23 new development projects valuing Rs309.1 billion with revised the cost of nine ongoing projects from Rs6.2 billion to Rs8.2 billion.

The Ecnec approved the said projects in its fourth meeting. In the earlier three meetings, 84 projects costing Rs368.5 billion were approved, said Secretary Planning and Development (P&D) Division Ghayasuddin Ahmad while briefing mediapersons after the meeting.

The total number of projects approved so far this fiscal is 116 costing Rs685.9 billion including FEC of Rs260.5 billion. In infrastructure sector, Ecnec on Wednesday approved 15 projects worth Rs132.2 billion including FEC of Rs69.9billion. The same number of projects was approved in social sector costing Rs183.3 billion with FEC Rs68.6 billion, said P&D secretary who was flanked by Planning Commission Spokesman Muhammad Asif Sheikh and other senior officials. Two projects costing Rs1.7 billion were approved in other sectors.

Of the 15 projects in infrastructure, 8 projects are in transport and communication, one in water resources, four in energy and two in physical planning and housing. Of the 15 social sector projects, six projects are of Higher Education Commission, including four projects of engineering universities being established with the help of China, Germany, Austria and Italy at Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. The Pakistani students will get degrees of these universities in Pakistan.

The project of widening and improvement of Pattoki to Kanganpur 54.8kms long road in district Kasur costing Rs0.6 billion will be financed by the federal and Punjab governments on 50:50 cost sharing basis. Two projects costing Rs15.9 billion will be fully financed by the Punjab government.

The construction of road from Nagor Sharif to Sunstar costing Rs0.6 billion will be fully financed by the Balochistan government. The project of New Balakot city development costing Rs12 billion will be financed from the Erra allocation of Rs35 billion in the current fiscal.

Of the 116 projects approved so far this fiscal, 64 projects are included in the PSDP 2007-08 with allocation of Rs23.8 billion. Of the 32 projects approved on Wednesday, 27 schemes are part of the current fiscal PSDP with an allocation of Rs8.8 billion.

In energy sector, uranium mining project (Taunsa 2), Dera Ghazi Khan worth Rs2.386 billion including FEC of Rs1.15 billion was approved. Water and power division schemes of power transmission enhancement project worth Rs20.19 billion, and establishment of 500MW combined cycle power plant at Nandipur costing Rs22.33 billion were also approved.

Ecnec also revised the cost of detailed exploration of uranium resources in DG Khan Phase VII to Rs0.85 billion. In physical planning and housing, Ecnec approved two projects worth Rs21.35 billion. Eight projects worth

Rs58.52 billion approved in transport and communication, one project costing Rs6.57 billion in water resources. Five projects worth Rs3.89 billion were approved in health, six projects costing Rs171.35 billion in higher education, two projects worth Rs3.4 billion in information technology, two schemes worth Rs4.64 billion in science and technology, one project costing Rs0.89 billion in devolution and area development and one scheme costing Rs0.82 billion in industries and commerce were approved.