A meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) will be held today (Friday) to discuss and approve projects relating to energy, higher education, transport, information technology and population welfare sectors. Finance Minister Dr Hafeez Sheikh and Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Nadeem-ul-Haq will jointly chair the meeting.
According to the meeting agenda, made available to the Business Recorder, projects relating to energy sector including 26MW Shagarthang Hydropower Project, District Skardu (Revised)(ADB Funding), establishment of 48MW Jagran-II Hydro Electric Power Station (Phase-2), District Neelum in AJ&K (Revised PC-1)(French Loan), Establishment of Programme Management office (PMO) for Pakistan Energy Efficiency Investment Programme(ADB 80 percent, PSDP 20 percent) and 220KV Grid Station at Lalian, Chiniot, and Punjab (ADB-MTFF)(Multi Tranch Financing Facility) would be discussed for approval.
Similarly, two projects relating to Higher Education including Master Leading to PhD Scholarship Programme (Indigenous and Overseas) for Students of Balochistan (an initiative of the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan) and Indigenous PhD fellowships to 5,000 Scholars, HEC (Phase-II) would also be discussed for approval.
The meeting will also discuss projects including Safe City Islamabad of Information Technology, Lowari Tunnel and Access Roads and Doubling of Track from Lodhran to Khanewal via Multan Cannt (Revised) of Transport and Communication sector and a project of Population Welfare Programme 2010-15 (Federal Activity Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir).
According to the document, the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) in its meeting held on October 21, 2011 had recommended the Lowari Road Tunnel and Access Roads Projects (Revised) at an estimated cost of Rs 18.133 billion including FEC of Rs 5.877 billion for the approval of ECNEC.
The project, sponsored by the Ministry of Communications, envisaged modification/conversion of the already excavated 8.5 km long Rail Tunnel into a one-way road tunnel with emergency lane in districts Dir and Chitral. The proposed Road Tunnel will contain 3.5 m of single lane and 2 m of emergency lane on one side and 0.91 m and 0.87 m walkways on either sides, for which the existing excavated tunnel would be further widened up to 3 m.
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