ECNEC approves the Diamer-Bhasha Dam and road infrastructure

Islamabad: According to news reported in the top newspaper on April 6, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved a Diamer-Bhasha Dam Power Generating facility and several road infrastructure projects.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar presided over a meeting of the ECNEC. The participants in the meeting discussed and authorised the 4,500 MW Diamer-Bhasha Project Power Generating Facilities, which were priced at PKR 1.236.10 billion, including a PKR 598.19 billion Foreign Currency Component (FEC).
According to the specifics, the project’s goal is to take advantage of the 4,500 MW of cost-effective, sustainable hydropower energy generated by the facilities built as part of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam project. The Water and Power Development will carry out the aforementioned project.

The dualization and rehabilitation of the N-55 segment between Dera Ghazi Khan and Dera Ismail Khan, which was approved by the ECNEC, cost PKR 11.377 billion without FEC. According to specifics, the project include purchasing property for the widening and upgrading of a 329.7-kilometer dual highway with four lanes that runs from Rajanpur to Dera Ismail Khan.

Rebuilding the Turbat-Mand Road from the Sukkur-Larkana-Gwadar motorway (M-8) to the Iranian Border (Radeeq) at a cost of PKR 19.571 billion was also agreed during the meeting. The 115-kilometer-long road from the Gwadar-Ratodero Motorway to Kurumb in Baluchistan will be improved and rebuilt as part of this project.

In addition, ECNEC authorised the PKR 27.638 billion building of the Panjgur-Gichak-Awaran road. A 228-kilometer road will be built as part of the revised project from Panjgur-Gichak-Awaran in southern Balochistan.