PRESS RELEASE N0: JPNEMPAK 11-10

Islamabad: 2nd March, 2011

The Government of Japan has decided to grant financial support of US$ 86,029 (approx. Rs. 7.2 million) to the Social Welfare Council Kuri Dolal (SWCKD) for the Construction of Concrete Link Road in Gujar Khan, District Rawalpindi, Punjab.
The agreement for the project was signed on Wednesday, 2nd March 2011, at the Japanese Ambassador’s residence in Islamabad, between Mr. Jota Yamamoto, Charge d’affairs a.i. of the Embassy of Japan and Mr. Farrukh Abbas Qureshi, President of the SWCKD.
The grant will be utilized for constructing the 2.7 kilometer concrete link road including side drains and safety walls as a protection from the floods and damage caused by rain water and landslide, in Kuri Dolal, Gujar Khan. At present, the inhabitants of this locality are facing severe problems, due to the unpaved and uneven passage. The situation becomes more aggravated in the rainy season, as no vehicle can go on this route. Especially, travel for women, small children, the elderly and the ill is troublesome. Through successful completion of this project, vehicles will be able to run smoothly and public transportation will link the villages for increased access to education, medical services, and business activities. This project will help in facilitating 650 households (around 5,000 individuals).
At the signing ceremony, Mr. Yamamoto stressed that infrastructural improvement and rural development is one of the priority areas in the Japanese assistance policy towards Pakistan. He also emphasized that this project would help the local community to increase daily activities and improve their quality of life in the future. He also hoped that the current project would certainly contribute towards further strengthening the existing friendly relations between the peoples of Japan and Pakistan. (End)