The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Tuesday okayed seven projects worth Rs 180079.188 million including the landmark Lahore Orange Line Metro Train. The CDWP meeting was held here under the chairmanship of Federal Minister Planning, Development and Reform Professor Ahsan Iqbal. Speaking on the occasion, Professor Ahsan Iqbal said that Lahore Orange Line Metro Train has been approved by the CDWP.
He said that non-ticket commercial spaces must be conceived to make mega mass transit project financially viable in the long run. The Minister said that Lahore Orange Line Metro Train project was launched by Punjab Government from its own resources, with concessional loan from Chinese government. He said, "It will be a landmark mass transit project for the poor people and the middle class to commute with world class facilities in affordable fare".
"Commercial spaces should be conceived at the metro stations architecture to help overcome the big difference in the operational cost and the revenue of the mass transit. The design should also be consistent with local heritage", he added. The CDWP recommended the landmark project Lahore Orange Line Metro Train Project worth Rs 165.202 billion to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for final approval. The project envisages construction of 27.1 KM long dedicated signal free corridor for train mass transit system in Lahore.
The proposed alignment of the project start from Ali Town and pass through Niazbaig, Bund road, Chaubrugi, Anarkali, Lakshmi, Railway Station, UET, Shalamar Garden, Islam Park and finally terminating at Dera Gujran. The corridor would be capable of accommodating two trains running on both ways with design capacity of the system at 30,000 passengers/hr. The minister asked the executing authority Lahore Development Authority to ensure the completion of the mega project in record 27 months time as the period set by the Punjab government.
He laid emphasis on transfer of technology for building the indigenous capacity to construct such mass transit system by signing MOU with the Chinese company. Four projects worth Rs 2362.104 million also were approved, 3 projects worth Rs 177717.084 million were recommended whereas one namely Integrated Transportation Infrastructure Planning Unit was withdrawn due to lack of homework. Provision of Academic and Allied Facilities at University of Malakand worth 996.317 was also approved in principle by the CDWP.
Professor Ahsan Iqbal stressed upon the need to construct signature buildings reflecting themes instead of ill-planned construction. Another University project of commencement of 4-year Undergraduate Programme in Water Resource Engineering and Petroleum Engineering at UET Taxila was also approved in principle.
A committee was formed by the Minister to revise the scope of the project. Another project recommended to ECNEC was construction of 4-lane bridge across river Indus linking Layyah with Taunsa worth Rs 6976.00 million. However, it was cleared with the financing condition of two third from the provincial government of Sindh. Larkana Development Package of infrastructure projects worth Rs 8113.084 million were also cleared subject to cost rationalisation Construction of Fall Structure on Nara Canal, Re-sectioning of Ranto Canal and Strengthening to NIP of Jamrao Canal mile 17-49 worth Rs 227.448 million was approved by the CDWP. Energy project of Government of Balochistan for Feasibility Study on Environmental Impact Assessment worth Rs 209.70 million was also approved in principle.
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