ISLAMABAD, June 5: The federal government has allocated only Rs2 billion for the under-construction Lowari tunnel and the access roads in Dir side in the fiscal year 2015-16 budget.
Overall, Rs159.964 billion have been set aside for 69 development projects of the Communications Division in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).
[caption id=\"attachment_26597\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"300\"]![\"lowari\"](\"https://www.chitraltoday.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/lowari.jpg\")
lowari[/caption]According to the budgetary documents released on Friday, the government has specified 364.747 million for eight schemes of Ministry of Communications out of which Rs357.247 million for six ongoing schemes while Rs7.500 million for two new schemes.
Rs14.666 billion have been allocated for the National Highway Authority (NHA)’s 23 development projects excluding China-Pak Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects while Rs58.1 billion has been earmarked for nine CPEC projects. Rs86.834 billion have been earmarked for new NHA development projects.
Out of the allocation made of the ministry’s schemes, Rs156.137 million has been earmarked for the construction of central office of National Highways and Motorway Police (NH&MP) in Islamabad. Rs100 million have been set aside for Green Line Bus Transit system in Karachi. Out of NHA’s development projects, highest amount of Rs2 billion have been allocated for Lowari tunnel and Access Road project while Rs1.4 billion have been set aside for construction of Faisalabad-Khanewal Expressway while, Rs1.3 billion have been earmarked for land acquisition of 57 km section of M-4.
As far as CPEC is concerned, Rs 10 billion has been allocated for construction of Islamabad-Mianwali-D I Khan CPEC route including land acquisition and technical study. Rs 10 billion have been earmarked for land acquisition and construction of western alignment and other CPEC projects. For Zhob-Mughal Kot section of N-50 Rs 3 billion have been earmarked.