Islamabad: Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday (June 7) announced that the federal government will allocate PKR 1.5 trillion for two mega water projects in the next year’s budget, news sources reported. The project includes a PKR 900 billion power plant component at Diamer-Basha Dam and a PKR 250 billion Chashma Right Bank Canal (Lift-cum-Gravity) project.
Reportedly, the minister stated that a suitable distribution of finances would be declared in the budget address, which will be delivered on June 10. He also stated that the two projects have been approved by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) and that the final clearance would be provided by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC). He stated that the Diamer project will boost the country’s power storage capacity while also contributing to energy security.
Furthermore, when discussing the Chashma Right Bank Canal project, he stated that the PKR 250 billion water development project will alleviate Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) water scarcity problem. The project, which was approved in 1991, will receive 65% of its funding from the federal government, with the remainder coming from the provincial government.
Additionally, he revealed that the federal government has approved the Chaman-Quetta-Karachi (N-25) dualization road project for improved connectivity and socioeconomic development in the region. He further stated that the government is renegotiating the Main-Line-1 (ML-1) project with the Chinese government and intends to implement it in order to boost connectivity between Karachi and Peshawar.
Nauman Ahmad is an imaginative Pisces whose love for literature and nature is unparalleled. When he's not reading or hiking, he's sleeping and eating, which gives him plenty of energy for his next adventure.
