NA panel for early completion of Gwadar link roads

TAHIR AMIN

ISLAMABAD: Expressing serious concern over the non-operational status of the Gwadar Port, the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Ports and Shipping on Wednesday reiterated its request to the Prime Minister and the government to arrange funds for the completion of link roads connecting Gwadar with other parts of the country.

Completion of link roads would enhance economic activity and usher in an era of prosperity in Balochistan, chairman of the committee Rana Mahmoodul Hassan said while chairing the committee meeting. He said public representatives of Balochistan were dissatisfied with the federal government's attitude regarding development spending in the province.

The government should take the Balochistan issue seriously, the committee said. Otherwise, the country would have to face "horrible consequences", the committee added.

Promises had consistently been made over the past over four years but the result was "still zero", Hassan added. He also suggested launching a protest outside parliament against the federal government, the finance ministry and Planning Commission for not releasing funds for building the link roads.

The additional Chief Secretary of Balochistan informed the committee that the ministry of finance and Planning Commission had not released funds allocated in the annual budgets for the past several years, which negatively affected development projects across the province. He admitted that there was a security problem in some parts of Balochistan but it could not be used as a justification for the delay in execution of development programmes. He claimed that several development projects were in progress in the disturbed areas of Balochistan, but the work on Gwadar link roads had been stopped because of non-availability of funds.

Chairman of the National Highway Authority (NHA) Ali Gardezi informed the committee that for the past two years, NHA suffered a 50 percent cut in its budget, which affected all its projects, including the Gwadar link roads. Of the total Rs8.092 billion for Balochistan projects, the federal government had released just Rs3.119 billion.

Calling upon the authorities concerned for the release of funds needed for the completion of Gwadar link roads, the committee recommended that public representatives should also be involved in spending the development budget for ensuring a proper check and balance on contractors. The committee was also informed that for the fiscal year 2012-13, the releases of funds would be project-based.

MNA Syed Nasir Ali Shah told the committee that the Gwadar Port project was at the same stage where it was in 2008.

Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Nadeemul Haq informed the committee that the government was facing severe financial constraints. However, he assured the committee that the Planning Commission would ensure the release of funds for the completion of Gwadar link roads construction in the first quarter of 2012-13.

He said that the government was giving top priority to Balochistan's development projects, but over the past two years, massive floods and other disasters had compelled the government to cut NHA funding.