To All ARUP EB Members                                                                             December 24, 2001

NEWSFLASH FOR ROAD SECTION OF ARUP WEBSITE

I- Asian Development Bank Sanctions Us $ 200 Million Loan For Development of Pakistan's Roads.

The Asian Development Bank has approved $200 million loan for Pakistan's road sector. Using this amount, the country's road sector at national and provincial level will undergo some major reforms.

The Road Sector Development Programme consists of a US$50 million loan to reform national policy and a US$150 million loan for a Provincial Sector Development Project. This Project will encourage investment based on economic principles, self-financing maintenance, and an approach to road safety that includes raising public awareness. Policy reforms are critically needed to increase the efficiency of the road and transport sector at the national and provincial levels. The programmatic approach adopted will sequence activities in various provinces, starting with the Sindh province.

The project includes investments to improve 164km of provincial highways and 1,200km of rural access roads. Poverty reduction will be a key theme for the identification of rural roads located in districts with high incidence of poverty. As the Project takes a sectoral approach, core rural access sections have been selected from three disadvantaged districts, namely:-

(i) Kamber-Drigh Road via Village Bhunda Khamiso.
(ii) Awidh-Jamrao Head Via Khudadino Gahu, and
(iii) Tangwani-Bugti Via Shahi Wah.

The total cost of the project is US$236 million. Apart from the ADB, the Federal Government will provide US$71 million and the OPEC Fund will inject US$15 million into this project. The Project is due for completion in 2007.

II- New Road linking several Villages in Sindh inaugurated in December 2001:-

The newly constructed Munshi Mohammad Khan road which connects Kori-Ja-Bhan villiage with Mithiani and Tharushah was opened for the use of roadusers on the 19th December, 2001.

This 2.5 kilometre road was constructed at a cost of Rs. 4.8 million under the Khushal Pakistan Programme Phase II. The opning of this new road will considerably facilitate the efficient movement of products/goods and people in the district of Naushahro Feroze in Sindh.

(End of Newsflash)

Sardar Humayun Khan of Pegasus Lahore is requested to please post this News Flash on the ARUP Website on 24-12-2001.

Regards,

K. Raffat Zaheer
Secretary General

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