The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has given the green light to four infrastructure development projects worth Rs 138.66 billion. The approval was granted during a CDWP meeting chaired by Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan. Out of the four projects, one was approved with a cost of Rs 2 billion, while three others worth Rs 136.66 billion were recommended to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for further consideration.During the meeting, several sectors, including transport and communications, energy, and physical planning and housing, were discussed. The Ministry of Communications presented a project titled “2nd Carriageway Torkham Jalalabad Road Project, Afghanistan” with a cost of Rs 16.46 billion. The CDWP recommended this project to ECNEC for further consideration. The project aims to assist the Government of Afghanistan in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of its road network.
Another significant project discussed was the “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rural Road Development Project” with a cost of Rs 105.45 billion. This project was also recommended to ECNEC for further consideration and is proposed to be financed through foreign funding, with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) contributing 86.5% and the Government of KP contributing 13.5%.
Additionally, the CDWP considered and recommended the “Expansion of 48MW Jagran Hydropower Station (Phase-II) in District Neelum, AJ&K” project with a cost of Rs 14.74 billion to ECNEC for further consideration. The project will be managed by the Power Development Organization of the Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The financing structure involves an amount of Rs 12.71 billion sourced from AFD, while the remaining Rs 1.28 billion will be funded through the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP).
CDWP’s approval of these infrastructure development projects signifies a positive step in further enhancing the country’s development and improving key sectors such as transportation, energy, and rural road connectivity.