ECNEC Approves 6 Mega Development Projects Worth Billion Of Rupee

ISLAMABAD, (Muzaffargarh.City – 30th Sep, 2016 ) : The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) here on Friday approved six mega development projects in the country costing billions of rupees.

The ECNEC met here under the chairmanship of Finance Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar and approved the project of the Irrigation Department, Government of Balochistan for the construction of 100 small dams in different districts at the rationalized cost of Rs 7829.874 million.

The project will complete in three years’ time and will greatly benefit the province of Balochistan in harnessing the flood flows and in this way supply about 175,500 acre-feet of conserved flood water for direct irrigation and drinking purposes and will benefit about 58,500 acres of fertile cultivable land.

The chair directed that Ministry of Planning for setting up a monitoring committee comprising members from the Ministry of Water and Power to make sure that the project would be completed in three years time.

The committee also approved Southern Punjab Poverty Alleviation Project (SPPAP) IFAD Assisted, at a total revised cost of Rs 4657.957 million with foreign exchange component (FEC) of Rs 4,140.397 million.

The project will help improve the standard of life in four less developed districts of Punjab (Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Muzaffargarh and Rajanpur). International fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) has helped in the financing of the project through a soft loan of US$ 40.13 million.

The project will help in poverty reduction in the areas of Southern Punjab with assistance in income generation, increasing agricultural productivity, improved livelihood opportunities and building physical infrastructure to improve the quality of life.

The project is expected to complete in 2017. Gwadar-Nawabshah LNG Terminal and Pipeline Project (GNP) was approved at the rationalized cost of Rs 203,314.08 million with Rs 135,128.46 million as FEC and it is expected to complete in two years.

The Economic Affair Division has agreed to discuss the financing arrangements for this project with EXIM Bank China. For the transport and communication sector, Ministry of Railways was allowed procurement of 58 diesel electric locomotives (2nd revised) at the re-revised cost of Rs 16300 million with FEC of Rs 11755.435 million rupees.

The procurement will be complete by December 2016. The proposed locos will replace 50 over-aged locomotives and will be used to haul freight and passenger services along with high capacity wagons fitted with air brakes and roller bearing.

The Golan Gol Hydropower project (106 MW) revised for District Chitral Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was approved at the updated cost of Rs 29, 077.173 million with FEC of Rs 10,679.885 million. The project having an installed capacity of 106 MW would generate an annual energy of about 436 GW and it will be connected with the national grid with a 198 km transmission line.

The lines, which include 132kv transmission line from Golan Gol to Timurgarha passing over Lowari pass (145km) and 132 kv single circuit line from Taimurgarh to Chakdara (53 km). The ECNEC also approved project of Peshawar Electric Supply Company for the construction of 7th secondary transmission line and grid stations at the rationalized cost of Rs 19989.114 million with FEC of Rs 1920.574 million.

The project will complete in five years (2016-2021) and will benefit the entire province of Khyhber Pakhtunkhwa.