Government urged to allocate funds for completion of Gwadar, CPEC-related projects

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Ports and Shipping has recommended the government to allocate Rs 22,358.433 million, as requested by the ministry, for timely completion of projects related to Gwadar and CPEC.
The projects include construction of East-Bay Expressway (CPEC), development and construction of port allied structures in Mullah Band area, Pak-China Technical & Vocational Institute at Gwadar (CPEC), capital dredging of berthing areas and channels for additional terminals (CPEC), land acquisition as per Gwadar port's master plan, provision of coal conveying system from Pakistan International Bulk Terminal (PIBT) to railway network at Port Qasim, and reactivation and improvement of Fisheries Training Centre, Karachi, etc.
The meeting was held under the chairmanship of MNA Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah. The committee scrutinised the budgetary proposals relating to the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) of the Ministry of Ports and Shipping and its attached departments for the financial year 2017-18. After offering fateha for the victims of recent spate of terrorism in the country, the committee was briefed on PSDP for the year 2017-18.
The committee showed its reservations on the pace of the work on the Gwadar and CPEC-related projects.
When a member of the committee said that water and electricity issues have not been resolved yet, the committee was briefed that Gwadar was getting 12MW out of 68MW electricity being provided by Iran, but now it is getting almost 30MW; however by the year 2020 Gwadar will be electricity sufficient city by producing 227MW. Minister for Ports and Shipping, Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo, also reaffirmed the government's commitment towards the CPEC projects and provision of electricity and water to Gwadar.
The committee was told that two new projects related to CPEC will be launched very soon.
A briefing was also given on projects relating to Marine Fisheries Department, Port Qasim Authority (PQA), Pakistan Marine Academy and Marine Biological Research Laboratory. The committee also gave its nod for the ongoing projects. The meeting was attended by MNAs Haji Muhammad Akram Ansari, Chaudhry Hamid Hameed, Syed Ayaz Ali Shah Sherazi, Rana Muhammad Hayat Khan, Sohail Shoukat Butt, Mehar Ishtiaq Ahmad, Shaheen Shafiq, Romina Khurshid Alam, Khalil George, Mir Aamir Ali Khan Magsi, Mir Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani, Mohammad Salman Khan Baloch, Malik Muhammad Aamir Dogar and Kanwar Naveed Jameel, secretary ports & shipping and other senior officers.