CM lauds C&W dept for completing construction, rehab works on 1,129 roads, helping govt save Rs11bn

LAHORE: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday praised the Communication and Works (C&W) department for completing the construction and rehabilitation of 1,129 roads in 75 days while saving Rs 11 billion, and directed the department to ensure lane marking on all highways across Punjab.

The Punjab government had completed 1,129 roads spanning 1,795 kilometres within 75 days at a cost of Rs 30 billion by carrying out construction and rehabilitation work round the clock in three shifts. Officials said the accelerated execution of the projects resulted in savings of Rs 11 billion.

Chairing a meeting, to review the department’s ongoing development projects, the chief minister also approved the establishment of six modern service areas along the Lahore Ring Road, which are expected to become operational by December this year. According to the briefing, the new facilities are projected to generate an annual revenue of Rs500 million.

The chief minister appreciated the performance of the C&W department for completing the projects within the stipulated period and directed that lane markings on all provincial highways should be ensured without exception.

The meeting also approved a plan for the beautification of the Lahore Ring Road and restoration of its Northern Loop. A separate plan for beautifying entry and exit points of roads across Punjab was presented.

Officials briefed the meeting that around 32,000 kilometres of roads had been completed over the past two and a half years, while 6,000 kilometres were constructed or rehabilitated between April and July this year.

Progress under the “Sohne Pind Sohniyan Rahwan” programme for rural road infrastructure was also reviewed.

The meeting was informed that Rs 125 billion had been allocated collectively for the Chief Minister’s Initiative, local roads and projects nearing completion, while utilisation of 99 percent of development funds in the road sector had been ensured.

According to the briefing, the Local Roads Programme completed 1,567 schemes covering 3,400 kilometres at a cost of Rs 79 billion.

Officials further informed the meeting participants that the 93.5-kilometre Multan-Vehari dual carriageway, the 24-kilometre Faisalabad-Chiniot dual carriageway, and the 13-kilometre Tourism Highway dual carriageway had been completed.

The meeting was told that 86 schemes under Phase-I of the Road Restoration Programme had reached 77pc completion, while work on 41 schemes under Phase-II had reached 31pc completion. All 124 roads damaged by floods had also been fully restored.

The briefing further stated that 42 new road construction schemes had been included in the new financial programme. It said Rs17bn had been earmarked for local roads and Rs 17.23 billion for the Chief Minister’s Initiative, while 907 schemes, including Faisalabad-Chiniot Phase-II, had been approved under the public-private partnership model.

Officials said Rs 14 billion would be spent on completing road projects left unfinished by previous governments due to shortage of funds, while Rs 51 billion had been approved for the construction of new roads across the province.

During the meeting, C&W Secretary Raja Jahangir Anwar gave a detailed briefing on the department’s development portfolio. The department also presented a commemorative souvenir to the chief minister, who directed officials to submit a final timeline for the completion of all under-construction roads across Punjab.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026