PESH AWAR: A team of World Bank, currently visiting Pakistan, has expressed interest in collaborating with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Chashma Right Bank Lift Canal (CRBC) and Peshawar-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway.

CRBC lift-cum-gravity project was approved in 1991 and its feasibility study was undertaken by Japanese consultants with the financial assistance of Japan International Cooperation Agency in 1995. The PC-I of the project was considered by Central Development WorkingParty (CDWP) in 2005 that got conditional approval and was updated and considered againin 2008 but returned for updating.

In 2016, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and federal governments signed a memorandum of understanding, declaring that the feasibility study would be reconducted while the centre and the province would finance the project at a ratio of65:35.

The operation, maintenance andrecurringcostsoftheproject will be borne by the province.

In June 2022, when CDWP approved CRBC, the then pro-vincial government said that the project would be a gamechanger for the development of southern districts. However, it said that approval of the `important project` took 32 years.

On Sunday, a statement said that the World Bank delegation, led by its vice president for South Asia Martin Raiser, expressed interest in the project during a meeting with Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur at Pakhtunkhwa House, Islamabad.

It said that the meeting focused on various ongoing pub-lic welfare projects supported by World Bank in health, communications, tourism, hydropower, water resources and rural development sectors. It added that both the parties explored new opportunities to expand collaboration between the provincial government and World Bank.

Briefing the meeting about the World Bank-assisted development projects in the province, officials said that work was in progress on various schemes worth $1.9 billion in various sectors. The visiting team alsoshared details of the institution`s country partnership framework for Pakistan with the chief minister.

During the meeting, Mr Gandapur highlighted the provincial government`s vision for poverty alleviation, social protection and human capital development.

He appreciated World Bank`s cooperationin publicwelfare initiatives and highlighted his government`s commitment to implementing projects with long-term impacts on the province`s development. Bureau Report