ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar on Friday said that the federal government has allocated Rs 188 billion for construction of roads, highways and bridges which is an increase of about 18 percent as compared to last year.
He said that an area of priority in the highways sector is the completion of Lahore-Karachi Motorway which will change the destiny of the country. He said that it will provide jobs, farm-to-road connectivity and economic growth in Pakistan.
Dar said that in the budget Rs 34 billion have been allocated for 230 kilometers Lahore Abdul-Hakeem section.
Similarly, an allocation of Rs 19 billion has been provided for 387 km Multan-Sukkur section whereas a provision of Rs 2.5 billion has been made in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for completion of 296 km Sukkur-Hyderabad section. This project is being executed in collaboration with private sector.
The minister that allocations have been made to start work on other sections of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), work on 118 km Thakot-Havelain link is underway, and this year an allocation of Rs 16.5 billoin is being made. For construction of Hakla-D.I Khan, a total of Rs 22 billion will be allocated, he said.
Resources have also been allocated for some other projects including Faisalabad-Khanewal Expressway, Lowari Tunnel and Access Roads, Qilla Saifullah-Loralai-Waigum Road and Zhob-Mughalkot Road, he added.
