Islamabad: Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping Kamran Michael gave a detailed briefing to Parliamentary Committee on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) on current status of development work on Gwadar Port on Sunday.
22-member parliamentary committee led by Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed along with Chief Minister Balochistan arrived in Gwadar for this purpose on Friday evening. The Parliamentary Committee will inspect the pace of development and construction work on the Western Route of the CPEC today (Sunday).
“Kamran Machael told the committee that the first phase of the port had been completed and its three berth berths were currently functional therefore Gwadar port would be fully operational by 2017” a well-placed source privy to the Minister for Ports and Shipping told this scribe here on Saturday.
The source said that government had approved nine development projects as well as allocated Rs 17 billion for the completion of these projects at Gwadar Port. Similarly, 2,281 acres of land had been leased out to Chinese company for development of free trade zone in Gwadar which would include construction of container yards, warehouses, container freight stations and light industrial units.
Briefing the parliamentary committee about on projects pertaining to CPEC in Balochistan Province, Gwadar, Chief Minister Abdul Malik Baloch said that security forces had improved the law and order situation in the province especially in the vicinity of the Gwadar Port.
The improved law and order and security situation has brightened the chances for making the Gwadar Port operational for the benefit of Baloch people.
Chairman Gwadar Port Authority Dostain Khan Jamaldini also briefed the committee regarding ongoing development projects of Gwadar Port and said that Gwadar Port would provide enormous employment opportunities to Baloch people which would usher a new chapter of progress and prosperity in Balochistan.
In briefing by ministry of Planning and Development and Reforms representative on Gwadar Special Zone, Gwadar, the committee was told that SEZ would cover the city of Gwadar and the industrial areas currently planned and foreseen.
The main purpose of this concept is to accelerate economic development and investments, both foreign and local, in general. This in turn will spur industrial development and port traffic throughput demand.
