A.Rafay
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2012
- Messages
- 11,400
- Reaction score
- 10
- Country
- Location
Country has not benefited despite spending Rs 45bn
ISLAMABAD: The Senates Sub-Committee on Finance and Planning was informed on Friday that the country has not benefited despite spending Rs 45 billion on Gwadar Port road linkages projects due to security hurdles.
Security situation was the main reason that led to leaving the construction of some nine bridges incomplete between highways constructed to link Gwadar Port to rest of the country and this has resulted in making the port non-operational.
The sub-committee proposed that the Ministry of Finance should separately allocate funds for security arrangement for ongoing development projects in Balochistan after National Highway Authority (NHA) held law and order situation as a major hurdle in the province for delaying completion of projects.
The committee chairman Senator Sardar Fateh Muhammad Hassani also proposed that security arrangements could be ensured through providing funds to Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps, Rangers or provincial police to make sure of the security at the sites of the said projects so that the country could benefit from the vital Gwadar Port.
Hassani invited Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman on Monday for taking a decision regarding allocation of funds for security issue for early completion of the ongoing projects. Members of the committee stated that security is a problem in the province and Gwadar Port could not be made fully operational unless road and train links are not developed to connect it with the rest of the country.
The security problem remains a major bottleneck in completion of these projects, said NHA chairman and added that the FC has sought Rs 1 billion for one year to provide security for completion of road from Khuzdar to Rathodaro.
The committees chairman was of the view that during the preparation of the projects a separate allocation for arrangement of security arrangements be ensured so that vital projects like linkage of Gwadar Power to rest of the country could be completed in time.
On the issue raised by NHA for annual road maintenance, Ministry of Communication director roads informed that some Rs 80 billion is annually allocated for maintenance purposes, Rs 50 billion in Public Sector Development Programme and Rs 30 billion through NHAs own resources.
NHA officials present in the meeting informed that NAs communication body members the other day strongly objected arrangement of additional funds for security arrangements at projects sites for NHA and members of committee were of the view that this would be a wastage of money.
Planning Commission infrastructure member informed the committee that the Planning Commission had included security related funds in the final cost of the Gomal Zam Dam Project. Senator Begum Kulsoom Parveen was of the view that until and the Gwadar Port road linkages projects are not completed the country would not be able to make economic progress by using Gwadar Port.
Senator Humanyun Mandokhel expressed his serious concern that despite spending Rs 45 billion on construction of highways for linking Gwadar Port, the country has not been able to benefit from economic opportunities from Gwadar.
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: The Senates Sub-Committee on Finance and Planning was informed on Friday that the country has not benefited despite spending Rs 45 billion on Gwadar Port road linkages projects due to security hurdles.
Security situation was the main reason that led to leaving the construction of some nine bridges incomplete between highways constructed to link Gwadar Port to rest of the country and this has resulted in making the port non-operational.
The sub-committee proposed that the Ministry of Finance should separately allocate funds for security arrangement for ongoing development projects in Balochistan after National Highway Authority (NHA) held law and order situation as a major hurdle in the province for delaying completion of projects.
The committee chairman Senator Sardar Fateh Muhammad Hassani also proposed that security arrangements could be ensured through providing funds to Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps, Rangers or provincial police to make sure of the security at the sites of the said projects so that the country could benefit from the vital Gwadar Port.
Hassani invited Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman on Monday for taking a decision regarding allocation of funds for security issue for early completion of the ongoing projects. Members of the committee stated that security is a problem in the province and Gwadar Port could not be made fully operational unless road and train links are not developed to connect it with the rest of the country.
The security problem remains a major bottleneck in completion of these projects, said NHA chairman and added that the FC has sought Rs 1 billion for one year to provide security for completion of road from Khuzdar to Rathodaro.
The committees chairman was of the view that during the preparation of the projects a separate allocation for arrangement of security arrangements be ensured so that vital projects like linkage of Gwadar Power to rest of the country could be completed in time.
On the issue raised by NHA for annual road maintenance, Ministry of Communication director roads informed that some Rs 80 billion is annually allocated for maintenance purposes, Rs 50 billion in Public Sector Development Programme and Rs 30 billion through NHAs own resources.
NHA officials present in the meeting informed that NAs communication body members the other day strongly objected arrangement of additional funds for security arrangements at projects sites for NHA and members of committee were of the view that this would be a wastage of money.
Planning Commission infrastructure member informed the committee that the Planning Commission had included security related funds in the final cost of the Gomal Zam Dam Project. Senator Begum Kulsoom Parveen was of the view that until and the Gwadar Port road linkages projects are not completed the country would not be able to make economic progress by using Gwadar Port.
Senator Humanyun Mandokhel expressed his serious concern that despite spending Rs 45 billion on construction of highways for linking Gwadar Port, the country has not been able to benefit from economic opportunities from Gwadar.
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
