ISLAMABAD: Seven Projects worth Rs 180.07 billion, including landmark Lahore Orange Line Metro, were cleared in the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) meeting chaired by the Federal Minister Planning , Development and Reform Prof Ahsan Iqbal.
The Punjab government will launch the Lahore Orange Line Metro Train project through its own resources with concessional loan from China. “It will be a landmark mass transit project for the poor people and the middle class to commute with world class facilities in affordable fare”, the minister said. “Commercial spaces should be conceived at the metro stations architecture to help overcome the big difference in the operational cost and the revenue of the mass transit. The design should also be consistent with local heritage”, he added. The landmark project Lahore Orange Line Metro Train Project worth Rs165.202 billion was recommended to the ECNEC for final approval. The project envisages construction of 27.1 Km long dedicated signal free corridor for train mass transit system in Lahore. The proposed alignment of the project start from Ali town passing through Niazbaig, Bund road, Chaubrugi, Anarkali, Lakshmi, Railway Station, UET, Shalamar Garden , Islam Park and finally terminates at Dera Gujran. The corridor will be capable of accommodating two trains running on both ways with design capacity of the system at 30,000 passengers/ hr. The Minister asked the executing authority Lahore Development Authority to ensure the completion of the mega project in record 27 months time as the period set by the Punjab Government. He laid ample emphasis on transfer of technology for building the indigenous capacity to construct such mass transit system by signing MOU with the Chinese company. Four projects worth 2362.104 million rupees were approved, 3 projects worth Rs177717.084 million were recommended whereas one namely integrated Transportation Infrastructure Planning Unit was withdrawn due to lack of homework. Provision of Academic and Allied Facilities at University of Malakand worth Rs996.317 m was approved in principle. Prof. Ahsan Iqbal stressed upon the need to construct signature buildings reflecting themes instead of ill-planned construction. Another University project of Commencement of 4 year Undergraduate Program in Water Resource Engineering and Petroleum Engineering at UET Taxila was also approved in principle. A committee was formed by the Minister to revise the scope of the project. Another project recommended to ECNEC was Construction of 4 Lane Bridge across river Indus linking Layyah with Taunsa worth Rs6976.00 million. However, it was cleared with the financing condition of two third from the provincial government of Sindh. Larkana Development Package of infrastructure projects worth 8113.084 million rupees were also cleared subject to cost rationalization Construction of Fall Structure on Nara Canal, Re-sectioning of Ranto Canal and Strengthening to NIP of Jamrao Canal mile 17-49 worth 227.448 million rupees was approved by the CDWP. Energy project of Government of Balochistan for Feasibility Study on Environmental Impact Assessment worth 209.70 million rupees was also approved in principle.
