PESHAWAR: In a meeting chaired by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Planning and Development Additional Chief Secretary Shakeel Qadir Khan, the K-P Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) approved 21 developmental projects worth Rs5.59 billion out of 26 proposed projects for the province.
The approved projects to introduce urban development in the region, especially the newly merged tribal districts, include health, relief and rehabilitation, infrastructure, industries, science and technology, water, and sanitation.
One of the projects was cleared by the PDWP and has been referred to the federal government for review, which will then be forwarded to the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) and thereafter to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for further approval.
Whereas, the remaining four projects were returned to their respective departments for rectification.
One of the sanctioned projects included approving a consultancy to develop a master plan and design for the Digital Complex and the Science and Technology Directorate in Peshawar.
Projects in the water sector comprise of construction work to improve flood protection works culverts, drains and roads in different union councils of Mardan district, which include Baghi Irum, Kas Korona, Manga, Khazana Dehri, Chamtar, Mahoderi, Mohabatabad, Bijlighar, and Dargai.
The working party also approved the construction and rehabilitation of water supply and sanitation schemes in Hairpur and Khanpur tehsils. In addition, water supply schemes in Union Council of Kehal, Malikpura, Nawanshahr, Sheikhul Bandi, Kakul, Mirpur, Banda Pir Khan and Cantonment areas of Abbottabad within PK-39 were approved.
To improve the health sector, the meeting approved the procurement of equipment and items to facilitate the dental college and the dental departments at the Saidu Group of Teaching Hospital in Swat.
While expanding the industrial sector, the PDWP permitted procurement of land to establish Small Industries Estate in the provincial capital.
Along with the construction of an 8-kilometre long extension to connect Sujal Kot to Thesi in Abbottabad under the infrastructure sector, several roads in Malakand, Mansehra, North Waziristan, Khyber districts, Karak Tehsil, Takht-i-Nasrati and Banda Daud Shah will also be built.
The meeting also approved farm-to-market roads in all the merged districts.
To develop the newly-merged tribal districts of K-P, the meeting approved a project that will not only strengthen the Public Health Engineering department but also build the capacity under the Accelerated Implementation Programme (AIP).
One of the projects was advanced to grant payments, compensations and other dues for contractors, landowners, the feasibility student, to design and construct a road from Nothia to Kohat Road and from Nothia Phattak to Swati Phattak in Peshawar as per the Annual Development Programme (ADP) project.
Initiatives approved under the relief and rehabilitation sector will be funded on a cost-sharing basis. Around 30% of the cost of projects will be borne locally, whereas the remaining 70% assistance will be provided from the ADB.
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