ISLAMABAD: The Executive Committee of Economic Council (Ecnec) thumbed up to different development project including the revised cost of New Gwadar International Airport project and additional carriageway of Torkham-Jalalabad Road. The council approved a total of nine development projects worth Rs101.55 billion.
As per details, the Ecnec meeting held with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the chair approved construction of 73.67-km-long additional carriageway of Torkham-Jalalabad Road, which will cost Rs7.343 billion and funds for the project are proposed to be met out of $500 million pledged for Afghanistan.
The meeting also approved the revised cost of New Gwadar International Airport project (extension of runway) worth Rs26.5 billion and three energy related schemes. The Gwadar airport project has a foreign exchange component of Rs2.7 billion.
The construction of expressway on East Bay of Gwadar Port was also approved at a cost of Rs14 billion out of which Rs13.5 billion is foreign exchange component. The project is one of the early harvest projects of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
The Ecnec approved a project worth Rs5.2 billion for rehabilitation, up-gradation and conservation of 400 coaches for Pakistan Railways. The revised cost includes foreign exchange component of Rs446.4 million. Out of the total 400 coaches, 250 have already been rehabilitated and 43 are in the factory for rehabilitation.
The meeting approved Rs7.1 billion project for construction of Amri-Kazi Bridge over River Indus. The federal government will bear 50 percent cost of this project and the rest will be covered by the Sindh government.
The revised project envisages construction of 1,320-metre-long and 19.825-metre wide four-lane bridge over River Indus between Amri and Qazi Ahmed on N-5 in Nawabshah district.
The scope of work includes construction of 19.345-km-long and 7.3-metre wide two-lane single carriageway approach roads.
The scope of work also includes construction of 3.534-km-long guide banks, 75-metre-long bridge over Right Bank Outfall Drainage, interchange at N-55 along with ramps, loops, road furniture and allied facilities.
The Ecnec also approved Indus-21 water sector capacity building and advisory services project (WCAP) with revised PC-II, costing Rs7.6bn to improve water resource management.
A 500kV sub-station for Faisalabad West was also approved, costing Rs9.379 billion with Rs5.690 billion as foreign exchange component.
The main objective of the project is to enhance the capacity of NTDC system by construction of 500/220/132kV sub-station at Faisalabad West to remove the transmission constraints of Faisalabad and its surrounding areas to meet the growing demand of Fesco.
The detailed design and construction of Gorkin-Matiltan Hydropower project 84MW with Revised PC-I was also approved at a cost of Rs20.722 billion.
The project will bring in an annual income of Rs3.5bn after its completion in six years and eight months.
The cost of the project will be met 20pc by the Annual Development Programme and 80pc by loan from Hydel Development Fund of KP government.
The Balochistan Education Project (BEP) will cost $34 million and will be implemented in three years. The finance for the project is arranged in the form of a grant from Global Partnership for Education under the World Bank supervision to universalise primary education.
The project will cover 32 districts to build 2,000 co-education primary schools and upgrade 60 girls schools. It will target to bring 100,000 out-of-school children to schools and provide employment to 4000 teachers.
