CM inaugurates five road projects under PPP Authority model

LAHORE  –  Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Sunday formally launched five major road projects under the Punjab Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Authority, transferring their operation and maintenance to the private sector under arrangements expected to generate Rs22 billion in revenue for the provincial government.

The chief minister digitally inaugurated the projects, covering a combined 318 kilometres, including the 80-km Muridke-Narowal Road, 33-km Shakargarh-Narowal Road, 97-km Faisalabad Ring Road, 52-km Faisalabad-Sahianwala Road and 56-km Faisalabad-Samundri-Rajana Road.

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Under the PPP arrangements, modern electronic toll plazas will be established on the roads, with private contractors authorised to collect tolls linked to the National Highway Authority (NHA) for seven years. The contractors will also be responsible for the roads’ maintenance, repair and rehabilitation during the concession period. PPP Authority Vice Chairperson and Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb briefed the chief minister on the projects and the authority’s broader pipeline, saying the processing time for PPP schemes had been reduced from two years to six months.

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Four additional road projects are also being prepared for transfer to the PPP mode: the 42-km Bahawalpur-Yazman Road, 43-km Yazman-Ahmedpur East Road, 28-km Raiwind-Changa Manga Road and 26-km Gajjumata-Kasur Road. The authority is simultaneously developing a pipeline of PPP projects across water and sanitation, tourism, healthcare, education, waste management, transport and sports.

Among the proposed schemes are 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. The PPP programme also envisages solid-waste management facilities at fruit and vegetable markets based on Black Soldier Fly larvae technology, management of 100 sports grounds and allied facilities, and construction of a modern truck terminal in Faisalabad. In the education and healthcare sectors, 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. A nursing hostel is also planned at Sahiwal Teaching Hospital.

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Other projects include the operation and development of Fareedia Park in Sahiwal, hospitals, parks, sports grounds, waste-to-energy schemes, effluent treatment plants in industrial zones, parking plazas, tourism facilities, water-supply and recycling projects, and the development of Zarafa Café and food streets. The chief minister was also briefed that divisional PPP working parties headed by commissioners would be empowered to approve and implement projects costing up to Rs500 million, a measure aimed at speeding up decision-making and project execution at the divisional level. Maryam Nawaz praised Finance Secretary Mujahid Sher Dil, Communications Secretary Raja Jahangir Anwar, PPP Authority CEO Dr Zeeshan Hanif and their respective teams for advancing the PPP programme. Communications Minister Sohaib Ahmed Bharth, Finance Secretary Mujahid Sher Dil and Communications Secretary Raja Jahangir Anwar also spoke at the ceremony.

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