CDWP approves Rs11.7bn for G-B medical college, two other projects

ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Sunday approved three projects costing Rs11.714 billion, while two major projects worth Rs48.545 billion were referred to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for final approval.

The meeting, chaired by Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, considered five development projects worth Rs60.259 billion under the government’s Uraan Pakistan vision, according to an official statement.

The CDWP approved Rs4.92 billion for a medical and nursing college in Gilgit city, aimed at improving access to quality healthcare in remote and mountainous areas.

Ahsan Iqbal said providing quality healthcare facilities in remote and mountainous regions remained a government priority.

It also approved Rs2.75 billion for the FCS Campus of the National Defence University.

Iqbal urged universities to focus their research on helping Pakistan achieve its target of $100 billion in exports by 2035, saying higher education institutions had an important role in supporting the country’s economic transformation.

Another approved project involves the construction of the 53.4-kilometre Zera-Dabori Road in Orakzai district at a cost of Rs4.03 billion.

The planning minister directed authorities to release funds for the road project before winter to ensure its timely completion, according to the statement.

Karachi neighbourhood project sent to ECNEC

The CDWP referred the Rs19.54 billion Karachi Neighbourhood Improvement Project to ECNEC for final approval.

Rs29bn Gwadar water project referred

A Rs29 billion project to supply water to Gwadar from the Mirani Dam was also referred to ECNEC for final approval.

The CDWP allowed the Gwadar water supply project to proceed to the tendering stage in a bid to save time and accelerate implementation.

Iqbal directed officials to immediately begin a study on the treatment of surplus water in Gwadar.

He said the government would not allow Gwadar’s marine environment to suffer the kind of pollution caused by untreated sewage entering the sea around Karachi.

“We will not allow the sea around Gwadar to be polluted with sewage water like Karachi,” the minister said.

The meeting also directed the formation of a committee to ensure the effective utilisation and transparency of foreign funding for development projects.

The committee was tasked with strengthening oversight of externally funded schemes and ensuring that allocated resources were used efficiently and transparently.