CPEC: ECNEC approves NGIA under second revised project worth Rs 51, 298.175 million

Islamabad: Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)’s New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA) under a second revised project worth of Pakistani Rs 51, 298.175 million.

The second revised project envisages construction of NGIA along with allied facilities over a piece of land already acquired, said an official statement.

The NGIA will replace the existing airport at Gwadar which has small terminal building with limited capacity.

The new airport will be suitable for bigger aircraft like Airbus A-380 and Boeing -747 and 777 among others for international and domestic services.

The ECNEC also approved Sialkot (Sambrial) – Kharian Motorway project submitted by Ministry of Communication with total project cost Rs 43,382.552 Million, along with directions to the National Highway Authority (NHA).

The project envisages construction of 69-km long, 04-lane wide Sambrial- Kharian Motorway with structures to be constructed for 06 lanes. Forum especially lauded the efforts of Planning Commission and Ministry of Communication for finalizing this project on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) basis.

The ECNEC gave approval to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cities Improvement Project (KPCIP) at a cost of Rs 97,146 Million. The KPCIP will improve the quality of life of the residents of five Khyber Pakhtunkhaw cities including Abbottabad, Kohat, Mardan, Mingora and Peshawar directly benefitting about 6 Million of urban population.

The Forum deferred the decision on Greater Thar Canal Project with directions to relevant stakeholders, both at Federal and Provincial level, to reach a consensus amongst themselves prior to its resubmission to ECNEC.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue, Shaukat Tarin, chaired the ECNEC meeting. Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Asad Umer, Federal Minister for Industries and Production Makhdoom Khusroo Bakhtiar, Federal Secretaries and other senior officers from Federal as well as Provincial Government participated in the meeting.