The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has approved the Chashma Right Bank Canal Project for the supply of water to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. CDWP is a committee of the Planning Ministry.
The Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal, announced the development at a press conference. He informed the media that the project will cost approximately Rs. 250 billion and will be executed as soon as possible via its inclusion in the upcoming federal budget.
He added that the Rs. 900 billion Diamer Bhasha Dam Project has also been approved, and the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) has set aside preferential funds for Balochistan.
Minister Iqbal also mentioned that a meeting was held with the Ambassador of Iran to Pakistan and the contract for the supply of 100 MW of electricity to the coast of Makran will be finalized soon. The Ministry of Power has been told to complete the transmission line as soon as possible, he added.
The Khuzdar-Panjgur link will also be completed by March next year, and the water supply scheme will be completed by September to resolve Gwadar’s water issues, for which China has expressed an interest, Minister Iqbal said.
He continued that directions have been given for the completion of the construction of the New Gwadar Airport by March 2023, and the plan for the University of Gwadar has also been approved. He added that efforts are being made to expedite work on the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The minister stated that the railway infrastructure is crumbling, and talks were held with China for work to be started on the Main Line-1 (ML-1). He said the ML-1 will be made operational within the year, and the contractors are demanding a review of the cost. The terms of the financing for the project are being discussed between Pakistan and China as well.
When a journalist asked why the government has earmarked Rs. 60 billion in the budget 2022–23 for political projects, the minister responded that the previous government had set aside Rs. 68 billion for these projects in a budget of Rs. 500 billion. “But we have reduced the budget for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to Rs. 60-70 billion in a Rs. 800 billion budget,” he clarified.
The government has launched 88 ongoing and 12 new projects, and efforts are being made to accelerate work on industrial projects. Moreover, work on the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) is also being stepped up, Minister Iqbal said.
