Engineering Post Report
Federal government is investing large amounts of human and financial resources for the development of an efficient and integrated transportation system in the country that will facilitate the promotion of a competitive national economy.
Such investments are also being supported through foreign funding envisaged in great game changer China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) programme, the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) programme and other foreign-assisted initiatives.
In order to minimize the murder on the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) of the Federal Government, financially viable transport sector projects are also being encouraged and initiated on Public Private Partnership (PPP)/Build Operate Transfer (BOT) basis.
All development projects/programmes are being initiated and undertaken in accordance with the already approved National Transport Policy and the targets set out in 12th Five Year Plan 2018-23.
Due importance is being attached by all ministries and divisions through their transport and logistics development related projects/ programmes on improving the connectivity in the less developed areas of the country.
A number of prioritized and early harvest projects were also identified on the basis of approved transport plan of CPEC. Accordingly, the road projects falling on the CPEC routes are also being prioritized and financed through PSDP, Chinese concessional loans and other international financing institutions.
The under-construction road projects on CPEC routes with substantial progress or nearing completion status included Sukkur-Multan, Lahore-Abdul Hakim, Hakla-Dera Ismail Khanand Havelian-Thakot motorways and expressways.
With the rapid growth of the cities, the urban transport demand has already increased many folds over the years resulting in severe traffic congestion in urban centres.
In order to overcome this growing problem and to squarely address this somewhat burning issue, mass transit projects in Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pukhtoonkhwah are under implementation and at various stages of their completion while some were being processed and and at their approval stages.
Mass transit projects have already been approved for inclusion in CPEC for all the provincial capitals which included Lahore Orange Line Metro Train project, Karachi Circular Railway, Peshawar Circular Railway and Quetta Circular Railway.
It is pertinent to mention here that Transport and Logistics related projects are being financed under PSDP and implemented by various ministries and divisions including Pakistan Railways (Railways Sector), Ministry of Maritime Affairs (Ports and Shipping Sector), Ministry of Communications (Road Sector), Finance Division ( Provincial Road Infrastructure Projects), Housing and Works Division ( Provincial Road Infrastructure Projects), Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Division ( Provincial Road Infrastructure Projects), SAFRON Division (Provincial Road Infrastructure Projects), Pakistan Maritime Security Agency ( Defence Division), Defence Production Division, Aviation Division.
