ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Monday approved three development projects worth Rs13 billion and recommended a Rs108.5 billion Kharian-Rawalpindi Motorway project to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council Ecnec for further consideration.
The meeting was held here with Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Jehanzaib Khan in the chair. Secretary Planning Abdul Aziz Uqaili, senior officials from Planning Commission and Federal Ministries and Divisions also participated in the meeting, while representatives from provincial governments participated through video link.
Projects related to governance, Higher Education Commission, Mass Media/ CSTY, physical planning and housing, and transport and communication sectors were presented in the meeting.
Upgradation of University College of Engineering & Technology Mirpur into Mirpur University of Science and Technology worth Rs1.89 billion was approved by the forum at its original approved cost.
Punjab Tourism for Economic Growth Project worth Rs8.525 billion was approved by the Ecnec forum.
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Other major components are tourism promotion, outreach, marketing, capacity building of relevant departments, training of 10,000 youth in tourism-related trades such as tour guide, tour operator, travel agent, interpreter, chef, cook, etc., public convenience facilities, and other tourism-related infrastructure such as restrooms, tourist facilitation centers, food, health/emergency facilities, etc. The existing legal, regulatory, and institutional frameworks will also be reviewed and updated for creating enabling environment for the private sector.
The committee referred the Rs108.41 billion Kharian-Rawalpindi Motorway project to Ecnec for further consideration. The NHA and RDA were directed to coordinate and come up with an agreed way forward for Rawalpindi Section Interchange. The project falls in Gujrat, Jhelum, and Rawalpindi districts and the executing agency is National Highway Authority.
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This project envisages the construction of a 117.2km, four lanes access-controlled motorway from Kharian to Rawalpindi.
This new motorway facility will be an extension of the currently operational Lahore-Sialkot Motorway and under construction Sialkot-Kharian Motorway. The project initiates from the junction interchange near Kharian on Sialkot Kharian Motorway and terminates at T-Chowk near Rawalpindi.
The proposed motorway traverses parallel to the N-5, passing the populous areas of Jhelum, Mangla, Dina, Sohawa, Gujar Khan, Mandra and finally terminating near Rawat at T-Chowk (Junction of Islamabad Expressway with N-5).
Keeping in view the traffic volumes, the project motorway is designed as a 4-lane access controlled facility which will be expanded to 6-lane as per Level of Service (LOS) requirements. It will include an Intelligent Transport System (ITS) for safer and more efficient use of the road. The design is based on NHA specifications.
The alignment/route of the motorway facility is selected keeping in purview future connectivity to other planned facilities or expansions.
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