ADB to scale up infrastructure development funding to $1 billion

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) wants to enhance its funding for infrastructure development projects in Pakistan to $1 billion per year. This was stated by the country director ADB, Werner E Liepach, while talking to media at a seminar on "business opportunities", organised by ADB in collaboration with Association of Consulting Engineers Pakistan (ACEP) here on Wednesday.
He said that currently ADB's funding is averaging at $600 to 700 million. "We want to scale up our funding for infrastructure development, focus on project assistance and work closely with construction industry", he noted. Liepach said the purpose of this seminar was to give information to consultants about the bidding procedures which are one of the problem areas and result in delays in projects and cost over run.
Responding to a question about the proposed the ADB project to connect Pakistan and Central Asia through trade corridor, he said it was in the pipeline. He said land settlement issues and cost need to be addressed for the construction of Peshawar-Torkham corridor while the projects pertaining Jalalabad and Kabul road and ring road in Kabul are being reviewed. This corridor when completed will be connected to Central Asian Republics, he observed.
Liepach pointed out that a rail track between Mazar-e-Sharif and Uzbekistan has been laid at a cost of only $130 million in a record time of nine months. This has been further connected to Russian railways system upto Moscow, he added. Replying a query about energy projects, he said that ADB was funding the upgradation of transmission systems of 8 (eight) distribution companies (DISCOs).
Similarly, ADB has funded 9 small hydel projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces under renewable energy projects. He said that ADB was also providing financial guarantees to wind projects in Sindh and about 3-4 such projects with 50 megawatts each will be on stream shortly.
Earlier, chairman Pakistan Engineering Council, Syed Abdul Qadir Shah, urged the consulting firms to abide by PEC regulations for international bidding. He said the PEC will approach Prime Minister's office for the announcement of service structure for engineers to encourage them to join government departments.
President ACEP, Inam Osmani, in his welcome addressed highlighted the aims and objectives of the seminar and said that ADB has so provided financing of $20.8 billion for infrastructure development in Pakistan. He said that ADB has recently announced a funding of $650 million for flood emergency reconstruction in roads and irrigation network. ADB consultant Terry Wood talked about procurement of consulting services while Naeem Abbassi discussed procurement of goods and civil work.