Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Mr. Shaukat Tarin, presided over the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) of the Cabinet today. Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, Minister for Finance for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Taimur Khan Jhagra, Federal Secretaries and other senior officers participated in the meeting. Adviser on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood also joined the meeting through a video link. The ECNEC considered and approved summary regarding construction of Dir Motorway, sponsored by the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and executed by Pakhtunkhwa Highway Authority (PHA) amounting to Rs.38,991.382 million. The project envisages construction of 29.377 km long, 04-lane dual carriageway which starts from Chakdara and ends at Rabat, District Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The scope of work includes construction of bridges, tunnels, underpasses and cross road flyovers. The entire project is located in the lower Dir region of KP. The above-mentioned project will enhance road connectivity and promote tourism. Similarly, the ECNEC considered and approved another summary sponsored by the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regarding Peshawar – D.I.Khan Motorway to be executed by the Paktunkhwa Highway Authority (PHA). The total cost of the project is Rs.276,529.496 million. The project envisages construction of 360 km long, 06-lane dual carriageway from Peshawar to Dera Ismail Khan and will pass through District Kohat, Hangu, Karak, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Tank and terminate at Dera Ismail Khan. The scope of work includes construction of tunnels, underpasses, etc. The construction of motorway will enhance trade & tourism and also generate employment opportunities during and after the construction of the road project. The improved road connectivity will increase economic prospects for the local population. The Provincial Finance Minister briefed the Committee that KP Government is developing motorways/express ways in order to connect tourist spots which will not only increase the number of tourists but also ultimately increase the business/employment opportunities for the local population and contribute towards socio-economic development of the area. The ECNEC welcomed such projects to make Pakistan a hub of tourism for the domestic and international tourists as envisaged by the Prime Minister. Lastly, the ECNEC approved the project regarding Pak University of Engineering & Emerging Technologies (PUEET), a research university, which will house various centers of excellence in the cutting-edge fields of science and technology and state-of-the-art Technology Park. Total cost of the project is Rs. 23.54 billion. The project will result in better quality of education, build industry-academia collaboration and train graduates in new technologies.
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