CDWP approves development projects worth PKR 38 BN

ISLAMABAD: Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Thursday cleared 13 socioeconomic development projects with a total cost of Rs38 billion.

Projects related to education, energy, health, higher education, industries and commerce, physical planning and housing and water resources were considered in the meeting. Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Jehanzeb Khan and representatives from provincial governments participated in the meeting.

A project related to education presented in Gwadar worth Rs1.8 billion was approved in the meeting. The main objective of the project is to provide quality education to the residents of the area. Another project related to energy, “hiring of consultancy services for development of strategic underground gas storage” worth Rs1.8 billion was also approved.

CDWP further approved three projects related to health, namely establishment of cardiology unit and burn/ trauma unit at Cat-A DHQ hospital Malakand at Batkhela worth Rs1.1 billion, up-gradation of Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Oncology Lahore worth Rs2.1 billion and COVID-19 emergency response and ensuring universal health coverage in Islamabad Capital Territory worth Rs2.5 billion.

A project related to Higher Education Commission was presented in the forum. The project, titled, strengthening of Islamia University Bahawalpur worth Rs4.1 billion was approved by CDWP. A project related to industries and commerce was presented in the meeting. The project, namely refurbishment and modernisation of heavy foundry and forge facility at HMC, worth Rs1.5 billion was approved in the meeting. The man objective of the project is to modernise steel making area, refurbishment of 3,150 tons hydraulic forging press, up-gradation and automation of ingot heating furnaces, installation of new forging manipulator with lifting capacity of 25 tons.

Two projects related to physical planning and housing were presented in the meeting. The projects include construction of greater water supply scheme district Lower Dir worth Rs852 million and construction of gravity-based water supply schemes and rehabilitation of existing infrastructure for Tehsil Matta to Kuza Bandai and Tehsil Khwazakhela to Charbagh, Swat worth Rs5.9 billion. They were approved.

Four projects related to water resources were presented in the meeting. The projects including command area development works of Kaitu Weir irrigation and power project of Kurram Tangi dam worth Rs2.9 billion and federally-administered tribal area water resources development project worth Rs6.1 billion and construction of Shehzanik dam in district Gwadar, southern Balochistan worth Rs2.6 billion and construction of Sunni Gar dam project district Khuzdar southern Balochistan worth Rs4.5 billion were also approved by CDWP forum.