Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Sunday formally launched five road projects under the Punjab Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Authority.
She handed road projects management and operations over to the private sector. The government claimed the move will likely generate Rs22 billion in revenue for the provincial government.
The chief minister performed the digital inauguration of the projects. The projects include the 80-kilometre Muridke-Narowal Road, 33km Shakargarh-Narowal Road, 97km Faisalabad Ring Road. 52km Faisalabad-Sahianwala Road and 56km Faisalabad-Samundri-Rajana Road.
Under the PPP mode arrangement, authorities will establish modern electronic toll plazas on the roads. Private contractors will collect tolls, linked with the National Highway Authority (NHA), for seven years. The private contractors will also be responsible for the maintenance, repair and rehabilitation of the roads.
PPP Authority Vice Chairperson and Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb briefed the chief minister on the projects and the authority’s broader pipeline.
The government said the processing time for PPP mode projects had been reduced from two years to six months.
The Punjab government will transfer four more roads to private sector. They include Bahawalpur-Yazman (42km), Yazman-Ahmedpur East (43km), Raiwind-Changa Manga (28km) and Gajjumata-Kasur (26km).
Punjab Public-Private Partnership Authority:
The authority was also processing projects in water and sanitation, tourism, healthcare, education, waste management, transport and sports. These include water and sanitation projects in Chakwal and Kasur, a Time Travel Park in Lahore, an FMD vaccine protection plant, a parking plaza and multimodal commercial facility at Badami Bagh, and a bridge over the Sutlej at Sahoka Patan.
PPP mode projects have also been planned for solid waste management at fruit and vegetable markets through Black Soldier Fly larvae plants, management of 100 sports grounds and allied facilities, and construction of a modern truck terminal in Faisalabad.
The pipeline includes girls’ and boys’ hostels at Punjab University and 28 other public universities, hostels at three medical colleges, and 14 hostels for working women across the province. The authorities will build a nursing hostel at Sahiwal Teaching Hospital. The government say it handover operation and development of Fareedia Park, Sahiwal to private sector.
Other proposed projects include hospitals, parks, sports grounds, waste-to-energy schemes, effluent treatment plants in industrial zones, parking plazas, tourism facilities, water supply and recycling projects, as well as the development of Zarafa Café and food streets.
The officials briefed the chief minister that the government will empower divisional PPP mode working parties, headed by commissioners to approve and implement projects costing up to Rs500 million.
The chief minister praised Finance Secretary Mujahid Sher Dil, C&W Secretary Raja Jahangir Anwar. And PPP Authority CEO Dr Zeeshan Hanif and their teams for advancing the PPP mode programme.
Communications Minister Sohaib Ahmed Bharth, Finance Secretary Mujahid Sher Dil and Communications Secretary Raja Jahangir Anwar also spoke on the occasion.
