ECNEC approved Rs174b worth development projects

ISLAMABAD: The outgoing government granted approval for eight development projects with an estimated total cost of around Rs174 billion before parliament was dissolved.

According to Dawn.com, these endorsements were made during the final session of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) under the PDM government, headed by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.

The meeting was attended by officials including Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, prime minister’s special assistants Tariq Bajwa and Tariq Pasha, as well as federal secretaries and provincial bureaucrats.

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One of the approved projects is the “Resilient Housing Reconstruction and Restoration in all districts of Balochistan,” funded by the World Bank and costing Rs43.4 billion. This initiative aims to aid communities in Balochistan to rebuild houses affected by the 2022 floods. The federal government will cover the entire expense through a World Bank loan, with a completion target of December 2028.

Another endorsed project is the “Punjab Urban Land Systems Enhancement Project,” valued at Rs26.44 billion, fully financed by the World Bank. This scheme intends to enhance land records in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas across Punjab by March 2027.

The Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan’s project “Establishment of Regional Grids in Gilgit-Baltistan Phase-I” received approval with a cost of Rs9.149 billion. A revised project cost of Rs8.963 billion was sanctioned for the dualization of a road in District Bahwalnagar of Punjab Province.

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Projects related to dam construction in Balochistan were also greenlit by ECNEC. The “Construction of Awaram Dam (Revised)” and “Construction of Panjgur Dam in District Panjgur, Balochistan” were both approved. Additionally, a project to construct or reconstruct schools in Sindh affected by the 2022 rain and flood received approval at a cost of Rs12.338 billion.

The reconsidered “Sindh Solar Energy Project” with an updated cost of Rs27.418 billion was also given the go-ahead.