Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Parvez Elahi has announced the biggest historic project of development of Punjab from Sutlej to Sindh and said that a plan has been devised to connect different cities with the motorway. He said the project would also generate millions of dollars. Chairing a meeting held in the Chief Minister’s Office here on Tuesday, the Chief Minister approved the Sutlej Indus Economic Network (SIEN) Project. He said that a new chapter of development and prosperity will open for farmers, traders, industrialists and investors; Rs.160 billion worth of the Sutlej Indus Economic Network Project (SIEN) has been approved for Kasur, Okara, Pakpattan, Vehari, Bahawalnagar, Lodhran, Bahawalpur and it would be completed in different phases. These districts would be connected with motorways, GT roads and Indus Highway, he added. While giving details, the CM explained that in the first phase, the Kasur bypass to Lahore Ring Road G-1 SIEN Corridor will be completed with Rs.15 billion. “Seven remote districts of Punjab will be connected with M-2, M-3, M-4, M-5 and M-11 motorways. Access to 49% of commodity-producing markets will be improved through highways. 3431 industrial units of food, agriculture and metal products will be promoted in these districts as business activities in 9 towns and small towns will be increased”, he said. Parvez Elahi said that the North-South Corridor will connect Depalpur, Pakpattan, Vehari, Multan Road, Head Sulemanki Minchinabad, Bahawalpur and Bahawalnagar Road. Changara East Interchange will be connected to Bahawalpur N-5, he added. Meanwhile, Hasilpur will be connected with Rajana Motorway M-3 through Vehari, Burewala and Chichhwatani. Chishtian to Burewala and Sahiwal to Samundri link road will be built, he said. Bahawalnagar to Sahiwal will be connected with M-3 Motorway via Arifwala. SIEN Corridor will also be constructed from Minchinabad to Sahiwal via Pakpattan. Due to the development and creation of employment opportunities in the backward and remote districts, the pressure on the big cities will be reduced, he noted.
Allahabad will be connected to the Jaranwala Interchange M-3 Motorway through Chunian, Pattoki and Halla. Sharqpur Interchange M-3 Motorway will be connected with Raiwind Road Ring Road. He said that establishment of specialized potato machinery centers in Pakpattan and Okara will provide economic benefits to potato farmers. By installing solar dryers and color sorters in Bahawalnagar, red chilli farmers will be able to get a better price of the crop. Vehari Industrial Estate will be converted into Agro-Industrial Park, he said and added that economic activities will increase in Kasur Small Industrial Estate and Dry Port. He said that a multi-modal freight terminal will be established in Pakpattan. Agro-industrial parks will be established in Bahawalnagar and Okara, he added.
