The government on Thursday cleared eight more projects costing Rs41 billion amid increasing size of the development portfolio and thin fiscal resources.The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) approved six projects worth Rs10.3 billion and recommended two schemes costing Rs30.8 billion to the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) for final approval.Two projects related to the energy sector were presented in the meeting. The 220-kilovolt Haripur sub-station worth Rs3.6 billion was approved. The main objective of the project is the construction of Haripur grid station at 220kv level along with an associated transmission line to meet the additional load demand and the improvement in voltage profile of the Hattar Special Economic Zone region. The zone falls under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).The second project in the energy sector was the transmission of power from the 330-megawatt Siddiqsons Energy Coal-Fired Power Plant at Thar worth Rs2.4 billion, which the CDWP also approved.Two projects related to physical planning and housing were presented in the meeting. Construction of 15 Superintendent of Police Residences Sector H-11, Islamabad worth Rs152 million and construction of four police stations in various sectors in Islamabad worth Rs150.8 million were approved by the CDWP.The CDWP referred the National Electronics Complex of Pakistan (NECOP) phase-1 project for final approval of Ecnec, having estimated cost of Rs18 billion.Two projects related to transport and communications were presented in the meeting. Construction of a road from Sibi Talli and Kohala Rakhni worth Rs4 billion was approved by the CDWP. The project envisages construction and widening of the existing road.Second project was for the construction of Lodhran-Multan section (north-bound 62 km) of N5 and the construction of two flyovers at the railways crossing on the Lodhran bypass worth Rs13 billion was also referred to Ecnec.Published in The Express Tribune, January 31, 2020.Like Business on Facebook , follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.