LAHORE: The Punjab government has moved five major road projects to the public-private partnership (PPP) model, allowing private operators to manage their operations and maintenance for a defined period.
The initiative covers the Muridke-Narowal Road, Shakargarh-Narowal Road, Faisalabad Ring Road, Faisalabad-Sahianwala Road and Faisalabad-Samundri-Rajana Road.
Under the arrangement, private operators will be responsible for road maintenance and repairs for seven years. They will also collect revenue from the routes under the agreed PPP framework.
Modern electronic toll plazas are planned as part of the arrangement. The government expects the five projects to generate around Rs. 22 billion in revenue.
Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb briefed Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on the initiative and said more infrastructure projects were being prepared under the PPP model.
The proposed projects cover several sectors beyond roads. These include hospitals, hostels, parks, sports facilities, parking plazas, tourism projects, water supply schemes and waste management facilities.
Plans also include waste-to-energy plants, industrial wastewater treatment facilities, recycling projects, a Giraffe Café and a food street. The government says these initiatives are intended to expand private-sector participation in public infrastructure.
Officials also reported that the project processing period has been reduced from around two years to six months. The shorter timeline is aimed at speeding up the evaluation and development of PPP projects.
Four additional roads are also being considered for the same model. These include Bahawalpur-Yazman Road, Yazman-Ahmedpur East Road, Raiwind-Changa Manga Road and Gajjumata-Kasur Road.
The arrangement does not involve the sale of the roads. Instead, private operators will manage specified operational and maintenance responsibilities for the agreed period under the PPP framework.
The move is part of Punjab’s broader effort to involve private operators in infrastructure management while generating revenue and maintaining major road assets.
