MUHAMMAD SALEEM

LAHORE: The public-private partnership (PPP) policy and monitoring board in its maiden meeting held here on Tuesday with Punjab chief minister Sardar Usman Buzdar in the chair, accorded approval for the implementation on mega projects and appointment of Dr Muhammad Junaid Ashraf as director executive committee of the board.

The meeting also accorded approval for the establishment of 'Weaving City' in Faisalabad through PPP mode apart from recruitment of human resource for the board. This project would be completed with an amount of Rs4.50 billion and Faisalabad's power looms industry will be shifted to weaving city. Zero-rating tax will be implemented for PPP mode projects and line departments will take necessary steps in this regard.

The meeting gave approval to setting up of combined effluent treatment plants in Sundar Industrial Estate and Quaid-e-Azam Industrial Estate Lahore with a total amount of Rs6 billion. It also approved installation of one million water meters in Lahore with an amount of Rs10 billion. The Southern Loop-III project of Lahore Ring Road was also approved which would be completed with an amount of around Rs10 billion.

It may be noted that this board has been constituted under P&D department to speedily implement public welfare schemes.

The meeting approved dualization of Chiniot-Pindi Bhattian Road along with provision of project development facility which would also be provided to Lai Expressway Project. Repair and maintenance projects of Gujrat-Jalalpur Jattan Road, Mianwali-Muzaffargarh Road and Faisalabad-Chiniot-Sargodha Road were approved along with the approval of schemes relating to Multan-Vehari Road, Lilla Interchange to Jhelum Road, Tirinda Pannah Muhammad Din-KLM-Head Punjnad Road, Depalpur-Okara Road, Samundari-Jhang Road and Shakargarh-Zafarwal Road.

Addressing the meeting, the CM said that constitution of this board will help accelerate the implementation of development schemes. "Now the investors will not have to move from pillar to post as needful will be done under one roof. The expertise of private-sector experts will also be benefitted upon and the delay in mega public welfare projects will come to an end," he said, adding: "I will personally monitor the progress made on PPP mode projects."

The board secretary Dr Farrukh Naveed in a briefing said that projects worth Rs389 billion are in the pipeline under the public-private partnership.

Provincial ministers Hashim Jawan Bakht, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Sardar Asif Nakai, Advisor Dr Salman Shah, assembly members Sajid Ahmad Khan and Mian Shafi Muhammad, Chief Secretary, Chairman P&D and others attended the meeting.