A meeting of the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved Rs 80.13 billion for eight projects of power, communication and social sectors on Wednesday. The meeting presided over by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was submitted proposals of these projects. The Ecnec considered and approved up-gradation/extension of National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) telecommunication and SCADA system with the total cost of Rs 11.638 billion. The meeting also approved establishment of 200-bed Center of Excellence for Obstetrics & Gynecology at Rawalpindi (revised) project of Rs 5.301 billion.

The meeting also approved Southern Punjab Poverty Alleviation Project (SPPAP)-IFAD assisted (Revised-II) project with rationalized cost of Rs 7.565 billion. The meeting was informed that the project aims at increasing the household income, employment opportunities, vocational and enterprise training with focus on women, provision of low-cost housing and community infrastructure development for the people of southern Punjab.

The construction of Northern Bypass of Dera Ghazi Khan was also approved by the Ecnec with rationalized cost of Rs 4.874 billion and improvement & widening of Chitral-Boomi-Mastuj-Shandur Road (153 km) with Rs 16.755 billion cost.

The meeting also approved construction, land acquisition, affected properties compensation and relocation of utilities for dualisation of Rawalpindi-Kahuta Road (28.4 Km) including 4-lane bridge over Sihala Railway Crossing, Sihala Bypass & Kahuta Bypass with the cost Rs 13.012 billion and construction of Ziarat Mor-Kach-Harani Road (107.2 Km) and Harnai-Sanjavi Road (55.1 Km) with Rs 8.379 billion for connecting Balochistan to Punjab.

The Ecnec considered and approved land acquisition, affected properties compensation and relocation of utilities for KKH Phase-I CPEC (Havelian-Thakot) revised Project (120.12 Km) of Rs 12.606 billion.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2018