Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has launched five major road projects under the public-private partnership (PPP) model, transferring their management and maintenance to private operators.
The initiative is expected to generate around Rs. 22 billion in revenue for the Punjab government. The arrangement is aimed at improving road maintenance, operational efficiency and revenue collection through private-sector participation.
The five roads included in the initiative are the Muridke–Narowal Road, Shakargarh–Narowal Road, Faisalabad Ring Road, Faisalabad–Sahianwala Road and Faisalabad–Samundri–Rajana Road.
Under the PPP agreement, private operators will manage the selected roads for seven years. They will be responsible for collecting revenue as well as carrying out maintenance and repair work during the agreed period.
Modern electronic toll plazas will also be constructed along the routes to improve toll collection and monitoring. The government says the model will help ensure better management of road infrastructure while reducing the administrative burden on the provincial government.
Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb briefed the chief minister on the PPP programme and said several more projects were being prepared under the same framework.
The upcoming projects include hostels, hospitals, parks, sports grounds, waste-to-energy plants and industrial wastewater treatment facilities. The programme also covers parking plazas, tourism projects, water supply schemes, recycling plants, a Giraffe Café and a food street.
Aurangzeb said the government had reduced the project processing period from two years to six months. The move is intended to speed up the approval and implementation of public-private partnership projects across the province.
Four additional roads are also expected to be shifted to the PPP model. These include Bahawalpur–Yazman Road, Yazman–Ahmedpur East Road, Raiwind–Changa Manga Road and Gajjumata–Kasur Road.
The arrangement does not mean the roads are being sold to private companies. Instead, private operators will receive responsibility for their operation, revenue collection and maintenance for a fixed period under the PPP framework.
The Punjab government is expanding the model as part of its efforts to involve the private sector in infrastructure development and improve public services across the province.
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