The Senate Standing Committee on Maritime Affairs has directed the Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) to acquire Rs. 48 billion port land keeping in view the surge in property rates.
The meeting was held with Senator Rubina Khalid in the chair on Thursday.
Chairman GPA briefed the committee on Gwadar Port Development Plan. He said the development of Gwadar port was initiated in 2002. He said the work remained hampered due to security and other issues during 2007-2013, however, it had been in full swing ever since. He said that PC-1 regarding land acquisition, which was worth Rs. 48 billion, had been sent to the Prime Minister.
He maintained that the control of the Gwadar port from 2007 to 2012 was with the Singapore Port Authority, and in 2013, China Overseas Port Holding Company was handed over the operational control. He underlined that the development had been continuing since then.
Regarding the status of Pak-China Technical and Vocational Institute, the Chairman GPA underlined that the institute having a capacity of around 256 students was completed in September 2021 before its completion date and short courses had already been started over there.
Chairperson Rubina Khalid asked as to why long courses had not been started as yet. She stressed that the training in the institute should be according to the needs of the local population. She sought details of the staff, curriculum, and courses to be taught at the institute in the next meeting.
The Chairman GPA informed that China had agreed to provide training at the institute and a draft agreement to be signed soon had been prepared in this regard.
H also briefed the committee on the Master Plan of the Gawadar port. He underscored that the port expansion project mainly consisted of the construction of the storage yard, a multi-purpose terminal, and oil and gas terminals.
Senator Muhammad Akram showed his concerns that the Gawadar port was started in 2007 but was not completed as yet. Neither the Pak-China Technical Vocational Institute has been operationalized nor the business activities have any footing, he regretted.
To this, the Chairman GPA asserted that development in Gawadar had been in full swing since 2013. He added that diploma courses would be started at the vocational institute within a couple of months. He continued to say that the East Bay Expressway had already been completed in 2021.
He said Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Gawadar in July 2021 and performed the groundbreaking of the Gawadar Free Zone (phase-2). Development work has already been started and several business ventures have signed agreements with free zone developers to construct the facilities in the next few months, he highlighted.
The Chairman GPA also informed the committee about the internal and external challenges facing the Authority, including, inter alia, maintenance dredging (Case pending at Ministry of Finance), land acquisition as per Master Plan (Case pending at Prime Minister office for presentation), vacation of land by Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Coastal Guards (Despite directions of Prime Minister and the Cabinet Committee on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor), industrial and commercial activities generation in the region particularly in Makran region, lack of basic utilities, security challenges, and lack of smooth hinterland connectivity for national transit cargo.
The committee assured the Chairman GPA of their full cooperation if needed.
The committee was also briefed on the proposed PSDP of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and its attached departments for the Financial Year 2022-2023. It was informed that the Finance Ministry had not released PSDP funds for the three schemes of the Korangi Fisheries Harbour Authority. To probe the matter, the Chairperson committee showed her intent to call the Secretary Finance in the next meeting.
