CM Maryam digitally inaugurates five roads under Punjab public-private projects

Punjab has entered a new phase of public-private partnerships, with Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif digitally inaugurating five road projects being transferred to the Punjab Public Private Partnership Authority.

According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, the transfer of the projects is expected to generate Rs22 billion in revenue for the Punjab government, according to officials.

The projects include the 80-kilometre Muridke-Narowal Road, the 33-kilometre Narowal-Shakargarh Road, the 97-kilometre Faisalabad Ring Road, the 52-kilometre Faisalabad-Sahianwala Road and the 56-kilometre Faisalabad-Samundri-Rajhana Road.

Under the arrangement, modern electronic toll plazas will be established on the roads. A private contractor will collect tolls linked to the National Highway Authority for seven years and will also be responsible for the operation, maintenance, construction and repair of the relevant roads.

Senior Punjab Minister and Vice Chairperson of the Punjab Public Private Partnership Authority, Marriyum Aurangzeb, briefed the chief minister on the projects and the authority’s wider plans.

Officials said the programme would cover a range of sectors beyond roads, including hostels, hospitals, parks, sports grounds, waste-to-energy schemes, water supply, recycling and tourism projects. The authority’s existing project pipeline also includes road, water and sanitation and student accommodation initiatives.

Projects under consideration include effluent treatment plants in industrial zones, parking plazas, tourism facilities, food streets and the management of sports grounds. A giraffe cafe and other tourism and food projects are also planned under the model.

The processing time for projects has reportedly been reduced from two years to six months, while four more roads are expected to be transferred to the model.

These include the 42-kilometre Bahawalpur-Yazman Road, the 43-kilometre Yazman-Ahmadpur East Road, the 28-kilometre Raiwind-Changa Manga Road and the 26-kilometre Gajjumatta-Kasur Road.

Water and sanitation projects are also planned in Chakwal and Kasur. The Punjab PPP Authority has previously approved water supply and sanitation project concepts for both cities.

In Lahore, the Tourism Department plans to develop a Time Travel Park through a public-private partnership. A foot-and-mouth disease vaccine production plant is also planned, while a modern parking plaza and multi-modal commercial facility are proposed at Badami Bagh Larri Adda.

A bridge is planned over the River Sutlej at Sahuoka Pattan under the project model. Officials also proposed using black soldier fly larvae for solid-waste management at vegetable and fruit markets across Punjab.

The programme also includes the management of 100 sports grounds and other facilities, as well as a modern truck terminal in Faisalabad.

Student accommodation is another major part of the planned programme. Girls’ and boys’ hostels are proposed at Punjab University and 28 other public universities, while hostels are planned at three medical colleges. Fourteen hostels for working women are also proposed across the province, along with a nursing hostel at Sahiwal Teaching Hospital.

The operation and development of Fareediah Park in Sahiwal is also expected to be undertaken through a PPP arrangement.

Under the proposed system, divisional PPP working parties headed by commissioners will be able to approve and implement projects worth up to Rs500 million.

Punjab officials praised Finance Secretary Mujahid Sher Dil, Communications Secretary Raja Jahangir Anwar, P4A Chief Executive Officer Dr Zeeshan Hanif and their teams for their work on the programme.

Provincial Communications Minister Sohail Ahmed Bharth, Finance Secretary Mujahid Sher Dil and Communications Secretary Raja Jahangir Anwar also addressed the event.