CPEC’s Western Route developing local economy

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Aug 31 (Gwadar Pro)- As the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) continues to support the growth of the construction industry in Pakistan, the Hakla-D.I. Khan Motorway (M-14), a mega project under the Western Administration of the CPEC, has given a boost to the construction sector of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

The 293-kilometer Hakla-D.I. Khan Motorway is poised to connect southern parts of KP with the rest of the country, bringing social and economic prosperity in the area. The motorway will be formally inaugurated in September 2021. The M-14 meets Indus Highway, also known as National Highway (N-55) in the Yarik area in Dera Ismail Khan. In the next stage, the M-14 would be connected to Zhob-Quetta (N-50), another project of CPEC’s Western Alignment.

Numerous construction projects have started along Indus Highway close to M-14’s Yarik Toll Plaza. Whether you head south to D.I. Khan or north to Lakki Marwat and Bannu, construction projects have begun on both sides of the highway that include hotels, markets, shops, and housing societies.

Haji Amin Khan of Lakki Marwat is one of the locals to benefit from Hakla-D.I. Khan Motorway before the others. He constructed the ‘CPEC Interchange Hotel’ at the confluence of M-14 and N-55. His restaurant and adjoining gasoline station are in the immediate vicinity of Yarik Toll Plaza over Indus Highway. Even before the inauguration of M-14, his hotel was manned by customers. “Many locals have found jobs in the hotel; CPEC is turning out to be a blessing for the region,”Khanzada, Manager of the CPEC Hotel told Gwadar Pro.

Dr Arif Ullah Marwat has started construction of a new market in the small town of Omer Adda, Lakki Marwat district, along the National Highway. “Although towns and buildings on both sides of the Indus Highway have been around for decades; however, the new connectivity project by CPEC has led to the construction of mega housing projects in uninhabited areas along the N-55,”he told Gwadar Pro.

According to Dr Marwat, in the first phase, the labour force is getting jobs in the construction industry in southern KP that could be termed as’ early harvest’. “After the completion of the essential infrastructure, business activities will begin that will change the fate of the entire region,” he said.

Likewise, several construction projects are worth billions of rupees have been started beside N-55 in D.I. Khan. For the first time, the people of southern KP will get properly planned and developed housing societies, commercial and residential complexes.

Arshad Gandapur, a resident of Kulachi tehsil of D.I. Khan told Gwadar Pro that due to the CPEC projects, the prices of their property have increased significantly. “Our land is no longer worthless, several housing projects have started there to accommodate people in future CPECs projects,” he said.

The Government of KP is all set to propose four mega projects for the uplift southern districts of the province during the upcoming 10th meeting of CPEC’s Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) meeting. These projects include Special Economic Zone-Draband, D.I. Khan, 365-kilometer Peshawar D.I Khan Motorway, Chashma Right Bank lift cum gravity Canal and Tank Zam Dam.

Ahmad Salman is one of the investors in a residential society in D.I Khan. “People are buying plots and investing in luxurious apartments in the residential complexes, as they foresee D.I. Khan as the future economic hub of southern KP,” he told Gwadar Pro.

The impact of CPEC will be felt in many ways. Besides connectivity, the construction of residential and commercial properties will spring up and set off another set of income-generation activities in the area.