Punjab PDWP cleared 10 development schemes worth Rs60 billion in total at its 11th meeting of the current financial year, including a Rs20.8 billion interchange link and a Rs12 billion road rehabilitation project.
Planning and Development Board Chairman Dr Naeem Rauf presided over the meeting, attended by Secretary Rafaqat Ali, Chief Economist Dr Farrukh Naveed, board members and department officers.
Two road schemes dominated the agenda. Both aim to ease travel and freight movement in central and northern Punjab, and both now move to the next stage of the approval process.
Punjab PDWP: Lilla interchange
The meeting referred the dualisation of the Lilla Interchange (M-2) to Pind Dadan Khan, Jhelum, worth Rs20,809 million, to the Public Sector Development Programme. Referral to the PSDP means the project is being put forward for inclusion in the federal development programme, rather than being funded from the provincial budget alone.
The dualisation project is designed to decongest and upgrade the key link connecting the M-2 motorway to Pind Dadan Khan, improving connectivity for commuters and freight alike. Pind Dadan Khan sits in Jhelum district, in the Salt Range region, and the link road carries traffic between the motorway and a tehsil known for its salt mines and mineral trade.
For freight, the upgrade matters because single-carriageway links create bottlenecks where motorway traffic meets local roads. Dualisation removes that pinch point and cuts journey times for trucks and buses.
The project also fits a wider pattern of motorway-linked upgrades in Punjab. The province is already pushing the Sambrial-Kharian motorway towards an early finish, while the Rawalpindi Ring Road has suffered repeated delays. Against that background, moving the Lilla link into the PSDP pipeline is a step towards funding, not a guarantee of a start date.
Gujrat-Sargodha road rehabilitation
The meeting also approved the revised rehabilitation of the Gujrat-Sargodha Road in District Mandi Bahauddin for Rs11,989 million. The project aims to restore and upgrade the road artery linking Gujrat and Sargodha through Mandi Bahauddin, easing travel and trade across the region.
Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin and Sargodha form an agricultural and trading corridor in central Punjab. A rehabilitated road on this route helps farmers move produce, traders reach markets and passengers travel between three district centres without the delays caused by a worn-out surface.
Rehabilitation, as distinct from new construction, means restoring an existing road to a proper standard: resurfacing, drainage, shoulders and safety works. For a corridor that already carries heavy traffic, that kind of upgrade can deliver quick benefits without the land acquisition and long timelines of a new road.
The other eight schemes cleared at the meeting were not detailed in the reports available, but the combined Rs60 billion figure shows the scale of the province’s current development push. Industrial growth is part of the same picture: new units worth Rs400 million have also started operating in the Nowshera Economic Zone, creating up to 500 jobs.
What happens next
The Lilla interchange project now goes through the PSDP process, where it must be included in the federal programme before funds are released and construction can begin. The Gujrat-Sargodha rehabilitation, approved by the PDWP, moves towards tendering and execution by the concerned department.
Neither project has a published completion date yet. The next milestones to watch are PSDP inclusion for the Lilla link and the award of work on the Gujrat-Sargodha road. For commuters in Jhelum and Mandi Bahauddin, those steps will decide when the promised relief on both routes actually arrives.
Feature Pakistan has also covered Lahore’s worsening smog and the row over private school charges in the twin cities.
Frequently asked questions
What did Punjab’s development board approve?
The Provincial Development Working Party cleared 10 schemes worth Rs60 billion in total at its 11th meeting of the financial year, chaired by Dr Naeem Rauf.
What is the Lilla interchange project?
It is the dualisation of the link from the Lilla Interchange on the M-2 motorway to Pind Dadan Khan in Jhelum, worth Rs20,809 million. It has been referred to the Public Sector Development Programme.
What is the Gujrat-Sargodha road project?
It is the revised rehabilitation of the Gujrat-Sargodha Road in District Mandi Bahauddin, worth Rs11,989 million, linking Gujrat and Sargodha through Mandi Bahauddin.
