ECNEC approves four new projects worth Rs289bn

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has given approval for four new projects worth Rs289 billion for the construction of national highways across Pakistan, an official press release said on Thursday.

According to the statement, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Hafeez Shaikh chaired the meeting in which he discussed and gave the green signal to the new projects.

According to the breakdown, the projects include 306-km long Hyderabad-Sukkur motorway worth Rs165.6 billion, the 47.55-km Khyber Pass economic corridor project at a cost of Rs77.9 billion, third is a section of the M-8 project that will now include a 146-km Hoshab-Awaran-Khuzdar motorway, and acquisition of land for Swat motorway phase-II worth Rs20 billion.

The Hyderabad-Sukkur motorway will be a 306-km long, 6-lane wide and access-controlled project, which will be built first, then made operational to be transferred.

The project is to provide a road for high-speed vehicles for efficient and safe means of commute, starting from Hyderabad from M-9 motorway and terminating at Naro Canal (start of Sukkur-Multan Motorway M-5).

The Hyderabad-Sukkur motorway will link Jamshoro, Tando Adam, Hala, Shahdadpur, Nawabshah, Moro, Dadu, Naushahro Feroze, Mehrabpur, Rasoolpur, Larakana, Khairpur and Sukkur.

Meanwhile, the Khyber Pass economic corridor project has two parts and will involve the construction of the Peshawar-Torkham motorway. It will also link the motorway to Badabher (N-55) intersecting N-5 between Chamkani and Jhagra.

The project will undergo construction to turn into a 47.55-km long, four-lane wide, dual carriageway high-speed access-controlled motorway from Peshawar to Torkham.

Following the Peshawar-Jalalabad-Kabul Motorway Project, it will have bridges, interchanges, subways, flyovers, box culverts, drainage systems, and retaining walls.

Under the section of M-8 project, the Hoshab-Awaran-Khuzdar will be 146-km in length, ranging from Hoshab to Awaran. It will be under the Balochistan government’s Communication and Works department.

The highway will begin at Hoshab and go through Qila Darwesh, Ashal, Dandar, Sahar Kalat, Gorari, Laljan, Duddar, Razai, Nurdin, Madak, Malar, Labach Dargo and finally terminate at Awaran.

The work will include the acquisition of 29,200 kanals of land and relocation of facilities.

The Swat Motorway Phase-II project will have land acquisition of 10,000 kanals and construction of the 04-lane motorway. It will be 79.69-km in length from Chakdara to Fatehpur as phase-II – an extension of the Swat motorway, with a proposed right way of 50m for the motorway.

Originally published in The News