WEDNESDAY AUGUST 17: Balochistan comes under sharp focus: President directs early completion of projects

ISLAMABAD: A total of 133 projects costing Rs 305 billion are being executed in Balochistan. While briefing President Asif Ali Zaradri on Tuesday, Dr Nadeem Ul Haq, Deputy Chairman Planning Com-mission, and Shakil Durrani, Chairman Wapda, said that out of 1,180 ongoing projects being executed through PSDP of current year (2011-12) throughout the country, 133 projects costing Rs 305 billion were being executed in Balochistan alone.
According to them, a sum of Rs 126 billion has already been spent on these projects up to June, 2011 and an additional allocation of Rs 28 billion has been made during the current year for federal projects in Balochistan out of PSDP. The meeting was also informed about various schemes and projects being executed in Balochistan as part of Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan, including Dera Bugti development package, Quetta development package, Kohlu development package, Sui package and other development schemes.
Imtiaz Kazi, Secretary Water and Power and Shakil Durrani, Chairman Wapda while giving presentation on water sector projects said that at present 23 water sector projects, including small dams costing Rs over 111 billion were being financed. Over Rs 10 billion have been allocated during the current financial year for these projects, according to him.
The Chairman Wapda said that two water sector projects - Mirani Dam and Sabakzai Dam - had already been completed with a combined cost of nearly eight billion rupees. Mirani Dam has a water storage capacity of 0.152 MAF with irrigated area 33,200 acres while Sabakzai Dam has a storage capacity of 0.015 MAF with irrigated area of 6,875 acres.
The Chairman Wapda informed the meeting that almost 60 percent of the work had been completed on Kachhi Canal water project which would irrigate 102,000 acres of land in the first phase. It would increase to over 700,000 acres after the completion of the second phase.
According to him, RBOD-III, a drainage project - will be completed by June 2012 with an estimated cost of nearly 4.5 billion which will benefit an area of over 287,000 acres of area. The Chairman WAPDA also briefed the meeting on small and medium dams projects in Balochistan including Naulong Dam, Winder Dam, Hingol Dam, Pelar Dam, Garuk Dam and Hub Dam.
Chairman NHA Muhammad Ali Gardezi briefed the meeting on highways, airports and infrastructure development projects and said that Rs 8.5 billion had been allocated for the 17 road projects in the province. He said that Airport at Gwadar had been financed as a special case by the federal government through PSDP. An amount of Rs 1.5 billion has been paid for land acquisition and during the current year 2011-12, Rs 1.1 billion has been allocated for the construction of Gwadar Port, according to him.
The President said that the future of the country is heavily dependent on the success of Gwadar Port and urged for early completion of Gwadar airport and other roads and infrastructure projects linking the Gwadar Port with other parts of the country. The President during the meeting stressed for early establishment of the colleges announced at Khuzdar and Loralai besides providing funding for Turbat and Loralai universities. He said the government, despite a difficult economic situation, would take all possible steps to make funds available for the various mega development projects being undertaken under the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan.
He also directed that the Kachhi water project should be completed on a priority basis. The President called for expediting the work on mega developmental projects in Balochistan with a view to providing job opportunities to the people and bringing the province at par with the rest of the country. "The province's speedy development is the top priority of the government," the President said while chairing a high-level meeting to review progress on mega development projects. He called upon the state functionaries to step up their efforts as the government could brook no further delay.
Briefing the media persons on Tuesday, spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar said that four separate presentations were given - one each by Dr Nadeem Ul Haq, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission; Mir Ahmad Baksh Lehri, Chief Secretary Balochistan; Muhammad Ali Gardezi, Chairman NHA; and Shakil Durrani, Chairman Wapda.
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, Governor Balochistan Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi, Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani, Finance Minister Hafeez Shaikh, Mir Israrullah Zehri, Minister for Food and Agriculture Changez Khan Jamali, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Syed Naveed Qamar, Federal Minister for Water and Power M. Salman Faruqui, Secretary General to the President Senator Dr Babar Awan, Asim Kurd Gello, Finance Minister Balochistan Sardar M. Aslam Bazinjo, Balochistan irrigation minister, Dr Nadeem Ul Haq Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, federal secretaries finance, planning and development, water and power, ports and shipping, communications, Chairman Wapda, spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar, Mir Ahmad Baksh Lehri Chief Secretary Balochistan, Secretary irrigation Balochistan, ACS (Development) Balochistan, Abdul Jabbar Khan IG of federal projects, MD Pepco, Chairman NHA, Chairman PARC and other high officials of the relevant departments.