CDWP approves 56 projects

Islamabad: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Saturday approved/recommended 56 different developmental projects worth Rs 99.8 billion including foreign exchange component of Rs 37.4 billion.

The meeting, chaired by Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Dr Akram Sheikh, made maximum allocation for infrastructure sector. About 25 infrastructure projects worth Rs 61.1 billion including Rs 30.1 billion foreign exchange components (FEC) were approved in the meeting.

In the social sector, total 30 projects were approved/recommended worth Rs 37.5 billion having Rs 6.2 billion FEC. Another project worth Rs 1.2 billion with Rs1.1 billion foreign exchange component was also approved.

Province/area wise allocation of the projects are; all Pakistan level 20 projects worth Rs 42.2 billion having FEC of Rs 12.9 billion, Punjab 12 projects worth Rs 11.3 billion with Rs 2.6 billion as FEC, Sindh 8 projects worth Rs 5.7 billion with Rs 1.9 billion FEC, NWFP 6 developmental projects worth Rs 13.3 billion with Rs 0.6 billion as FEC, Balochistan 4 development projects worth Rs 1.6 billion, AJK 5 projects worth Rs 24.4 having FEC Rs 18.3 billion and FATA only one project worth Rs 1.2 billion with FEC of Rs1.1 billion.

The spokesman of the Planning Commission Asif Sheikh, briefing journalists after the CDWP meeting said that out of total 56 developmental projects, cost of each 19 projects (33.9 percent) is over Rs 500 million, the total cost of those projects is Rs 91.3 billion which will be placed before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for approval. He said that the federal government would finance 41 projects worth Rs 70.8 billion.

Of the eight projects located in Sindh, two projects costing Rs 0.7 billion have been approved/recommended on 50:50 cost sharing basis.

About 5 AJK projects, the spokesman said that one project namely “Construction of buildings, provision of furniture and equipment for 13 high schools for district Kotli, Azad Kashmir” costing Rs 0.3 billion will be fully financed by the AJK government. For the two projects of energy AJK will provide only 25 percent of the total cost whereas the federal government would provide the balance amount.

Two AJK projects namely Muzaffarabad City Development Project (MCDP) worth Rs 21.356 billion and West Bank Bypass Construction Project in Muzaffarabad City worth Rs 1.676 billion would be financed from Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) budget, he maintained.

The CDWP also conceptually cleared 9 projects namely, establishment of Bio-safety Level-3 Laboratory (BSL-3) at animal sciences institute National Agricultural Research Center Islamabad, Conservation and development of Indus delta mangroves ecosystem to combat devastation caused by Tsunamis/cyclones in the costal belt of Sindh, Bagh City Development Project (BCDP), Rawlakot City Development Project (RCDP), construction of waste water management treatment plant at Gujrat, feasibility studies of sewerage and drainage system in Lahore and Walton cantonment, up-gradation of optical transport network by replacing existing SDH (622 Mbps) system with next-generation SDH (10 Gbps) and DWDM platform, BMRE/restructuring of Heavy Mechanical Complex Pvt. Ltd Texla and construction of one pilot Darul-ilm in Balochistan.

The spokesperson said the following position papers were submitted to CDWP for consideration: Oil palm cultivation in coastal areas of Balochistan, PEC standards bidding/contract documents.

Of the total 56 projects, 15 projects have been revised and their net addition in total cost is Rs 4.9 billion. The total additional cost of projects approved today is Rs 91 billion. An allocation of Rs 5.2 billion exists in the PSDP 2007-08 for projects approved here on Saturday.

Sheikh said the Planning Commission has decided to approve those projects in today CDWP meeting for which allocation has already been made in Public Sector D