Projects include Circular Railway that links Peshawar-Nowshera, Mardan and Charsadda
PESHAWAR : The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and a Chinese company on Thursday inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to undertake uplift projects in the province worth 1.6 billion dollars.INP Reported.
The MoU was signed between the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and China Communication and Construction Company Limited, said a handout. It said the projects included Circular Railway Project, Inter-Linking Peshawar, Nowshera, Mardan and Charsadda with future expansion to Swabi and a speedy service from Peshawar to Islamabad.
Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Transport, Malik Shah Muhammad Wazir, and Country Head of China Communication and Construction Corporation Limited Waing Xiaoping formally signed the MoU at a ceremony at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat here.
Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Law Arif Yousaf, Chairman Economic Zones Development and Management Company Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ghulam Dastagir Akhtar, Mohsin Syed and others were present.
China Communication and Construction Company Ltd is a Chinese public sector major construction company. It has expertise in rail communication and infrastructure development that has undertaken and completed major projects in China and other countries.
According to the MoU, the Chinese company would conduct a feasibility study, cost estimation and prepare a technical and financial proposal to the provincial government in respect of the development of the project.
It would also provide technical specification to government for the soil investigation and survey. The communiqué said that the provincial government would be responsible for obtaining approvals, permits, land rights or other necessary permissions to enable the company to complete the feasibility work.
The government will facilitate the company to fulfill its obligations and responsibilities by providing relevant local technical information and other necessary documents. Under the MoU, each party would be responsible for its own parts and expenses for the performance of responsibilities and obligations.
he financial model for the project has to be agreed between the parties prior to commencement of the project through an agreement to be signed after fulfilling all legal formalities. The speed of the train under the project will be 220 kilometer per hour.
It is part of contributing to the overall transportation system and planned urbanisation. It is the major step of the provincial government towards mass transit integrating the major cities of the province.
The project could be expanded to other areas and commercial hubs and industrial zones throughout the province. “The project will resolve the transportation problems and generate jobs that will lead to the overall economic revival of the province,” said the communiqué.
