Pakistan Railways and Multan Dry Port Trust (MDPT) on Wednesday signed an agreement about establishing a dry port in Multan, which will provide this main city of southern Punjab a direct import-export facility. Tanvir Ahmed, chairman of MDPT, and Sami-ul-Haq Khilji, chairman of Pakistan Railways, singed the MOU and said that this project would be completed in two phases by 2015.
Ahmed Mujtaba Gilani, incharge of Prime Minister Cell in Multan, Muhammad Asim, ex-chairman of MDPT/APBUMA, General Manager Operations Muhammad Ishfaq Khattak outgoing GM Railways, Saeed Akhtar, Divisional Superintendent of Railway Multan were also present there.
Chairman railway told newsmen that the dry port was being established under the directives of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. It would be established near Sher Shah Multan on 26 acres of land on public-private partnership basis. The MDPT was the only applicant, which pre-qualified for this project. The Dry Port would be established on about 26.072 acres Railways land under lease agreement for 33 years on BOT basis, according to official documents.
Pakistan Railways will invest Rs 433 million, while the MDPT would invest Rs 169.230 million in this project over the period of three years. The MDPT will transfer all superstructure constructed on railway land to Pakistan Railways on the expiry of agreement on salvage value, according to the agreement.
The existing private sector dry port shall remain functional up to five years and thereafter its viability of discontinuation will be assessd by MDPT. The MDPT will provide a bank guarantee and national defence saving certificates of Rs 2.000 million within 15 days from the possession date. The Pakistan Railways will build a railway station at Pir Mukhtiar Wala, rail interconnections and sidings to facilitate the project.
The responsibilities of the MDPT include preparing a Master Plan of the project, which shall be finalised by 30th June 2010, purchasing land from Military Authority for roads, pavement of area of loading and unloading of containers and building cold storages.