Senate body concerned over delay in making Gwadar Port operational

News was prepared under the information support of Online Daily Newspaper on Hellenic and international Shipping "Hellenic Shipping News".

28 Feb 2008

The Senate Standing Committee on Ports and Shipping on Monday expressed concern over the delay in making Gwadar Port fully operational and directed the ministry to gear up efforts in this regard.The committee, which met here with Gulshan Saeed in the chair, constituted a three-member sub-committee to look into the lingering issues causing delay in making the port operational. The members of the committee are Dr Abdul Malik (convener), Syed Javed Ali Shah and Dr Mohammad Ismail Buledi. The meeting underlined the need to overcome deficiencies and remove hurdles to make it a regional hub by attracting transit and transshipment trade.The committee suggested that road and rail connectivity with the port should be completed as soon as possible with a view to connect it with the rest of the country besides Central Asian Republic States and China. Some committee members pointed out in the meeting that operation of the Gwadar Port project was assigned to the Port of Singapore Authority through an agreement but no significant development has been made so far.The committee noted with regret that electricity had not been provided to the port to carryout its routine activities and directed the Ministry of Ports and Shipping to take-up the issues at appropriate level. The committee decided that senior officials of the National Highway Authority (NHA), railways and Water and Power Ministry would be summoned in its next meeting to ascertain the position with a view to expedite the work on road network, railway link and power supply to the port.Opposing the proposal to recruit more officials for the port, the committee said it would be a burden on the national exchequer and suggested that recruitment should be made when the port becomes fully operational.The meeting was attended by senators Lt Gen (r) Javed Ashraf, Ahmed Ali, Syed Javed Ali Shah, Dr Muhammad Ismail Buledi, Saadia Abbasi, Dr Abdul Malik and Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping Dr Fahim Ansari