Oil depot, terminal at Gwadar to be set up soon, Senate body told

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Aviation was told on Wednesday that soon an oil depot or terminal would be set up at Gwadar to facilitate the passengers.

A meeting of the committee was held here at the Parliament House with Senator Mushahidullah Khan in the chair.

Senator Manzoor Ahmed Kakar said Gwadar was going to become the country’s economic hub but there were no buses available to carry passengers to Gwadar airport.

He said airplanes also had to go somewhere else to get the fuel, adding it was surprising that even ordinary vehicles at Gwadar were facing difficulties to get oil.

Upon this the secretary aviation told the meeting that soon an oil depot or terminal would be set up in Gwadar, adding several companies were taking interest in this regard.

He said vehicles to ferry passengers to the airport would also be provided.

The meeting also reviewed the matter of Pakistan International Airline (PIA) employees, who had recently been dismissed from the service by the PIA management in the wake of fake degrees.

The chairman said a report be submitted to the committee in its next meeting as how many employees were given other punishments apart from dismissal from the service.

He said it should also be told that how many employees were given double punishment.

He said a list of those officials, who were guilty of dereliction of their responsibilities should also be submitted.

Senator Nauman Wazir Khattak asked the officials of aviation division to tell the committee in its next meeting that whether the radar system of metrological department could be used for security purposes or not.

He also asked them to check out whether there was any risk of Super Flood in view of the heavy rains and snowfall in the country during the ongoing year. The committee was told that there was no such danger.

The committee also reviewed Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) proposed by the aviation division for its various projects for the fiscal year 2019-20.

The meeting was attended by Senators Maula Bux Chandio, Nauman Wazir Khattak, Samina Saeed, Manzoor Ahmed Kakar, Behramand Khan Tangi, Secretary Aviation Shahrukh Nusrat, CEO PIA , DG Meteorological Department and other officials.