Oman has promised a grant of $17.5 million for the new airport while the Civil Aviation Authority will bear one-tenth of the total cost from its resources. STOCK IMAGE
The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Monday approved nine mega development schemes requiring a total expenditure of Rs105 billion including construction of the New Gwadar International Airport at a cost of Rs26.6 billion.
Called the apex project-sanctioning authority, Ecnec directed the Aviation Division to change the design of the Gwadar project in order to facilitate the landing and take-off of Boeing 777 aircraft.
The Planning Commission proposed to revise down the project cost to Rs21.5 billion, but because of further modifications in the design, it would cost no less than Rs26.6 billion, said an official of the Ministry of Finance.
As part of its $46.6 billion investment programme for Pakistan, China is expected to provide $662 million in assistance for developing land, airport and seaport facilities in Gwadar.
Oman has promised a grant of $17.5 million for the new airport while the Civil Aviation Authority will bear one-tenth of the total cost from its resources.
Initially, Ecnec had approved the Gwadar airport in January 2010 at a cost of Rs7.7 billion. Since then, the project has been facing delays because of its cost estimate and design structure. Until June last year, Rs803 million had been spent on its development.
The project featured on the PML-N government’s priority list following a strategic partnership accord between Pakistan and China for establishing an economic corridor.
Under the partnership, China is planning to use the Gwadar Port for developing its western parts, which have been roiled by insurgency and separatist movement because of its largely underdeveloped status.
Ecnec gave its seal of approval to the construction of an expressway on the east bay of Gwadar Port at a cost of Rs14.1 billion. China will provide Rs13.5 billion for the project, part of the early harvest programme of the economic corridor.
The committee considered and cleared the development of Gorkin-Matiltan hydropower project of 84 megawatts at a rationalised cost of Rs20.7 billion.
The project will bring an annual income of Rs3.5 billion after completion in about seven years. A fifth of the cost will come from the Annual Development Plan of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the remaining 80% will be injected in terms of loan from the Hydel Development Fund of the province.
A project for the construction of 73.7km Torkham-Jalalabad road, costing Rs7.4 billion, also won Ecnec’s nod. The need of funds is proposed to be met out of the $500 million pledged by Pakistan for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Afghanistan.
The committee cleared the Balochistan educational project with an expenditure of Rs3.6 billion. Finances are being arranged in the shape of a grant from the Global Partnership for Education under the supervision of the World Bank with guidelines for the province to provide access to primary education.
The project will cover the entire 32 districts of Balochistan. A total of 2,000 mixed-gender primary schools will be established and 60 girls’ schools will be upgraded. This will bring 100,000 out-of-school children to educational institutions and will provide employment to 4,000 teachers.
A project for the rehabilitation, upgrading and conservation of 400 coaches of the Pakistan Railways also got Ecnec’s green signal. With an investment of Rs5.2 billion, 400 coaches will be rehabilitated. Ecnec approved, in principle, the construction of Amri-Kazi bridge over Indus River at a cost of Rs7.2 billion. The federal government will bear half of the cost and the rest will be paid by the Sindh government.
With spending of Rs7.7 billion, the water sector capacity building and advisory services project was also cleared. The project will lead to improvement in water resources management and investment planning in the Indus River basin in order to strengthen the water sector’s sustainability.
The committee cleared the 500-kilovolt sub-station Faisalabad west project at a rationalised cost of Rs9.4 billion.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 13th, 2015.
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COMMENTS (11)
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Good projects! but such projects are good for developing countries which we are not yet. I appreciate such developments but I'm worried about below questions:
Approximately 25000 thousand "Ghost Schools" running under same government. Worst conditions of basic health units and hospitals? Who will make sure the attendance and competency of staff in above? Worst conditions of existing roads (thousands of kilometers) which are high risk for passengers all the time. Who will regularize the traffic laws i.e. fitness of vehicles issuance of permits and licenses to eligible people (non of these governments can operate average public transport system in any part of country? Who will improve sewage / drainage systems in urban areas. Who will cover open manholes? Who will bring the existing airports to meet global standards? Who will control law and order situation Who will protect right citizensI have so many questions but no time to describe because I have to "work" also.
and Work, work and only work - was the slogan of Qaid
Mega project after Mega project "INAUGURATED". BUILT 0. total nonsense sick and tired of these news of just inaugurations.
@woody: Read the article again
o boy o boy o boy more mega projects more commission money for the corrupt rulers man they have all the luck
Under the partnership, China is planning to use the Gwadar Port for developing its western parts, which have been roiled by insurgency and separatist movement because of its largely underdeveloped status. China want other routes if something happen in South China Sea and that ‘something’ will surely be happen, everyone there is warming up for that ‘something’.
finally some good news on gwadar. all hail chinese.
Awesome
This is getting really funny. First, a port in place that is connected to nowhere. Now an airport there too! I guess the passengers will flock to this airport to enjoy dust and see nothing for the next 200 miles! I think the good old establishment must be promoting these projects to give mankind an experience of being and walking on the moon!
Economic revival is what the country needs. After Gwader development stagnated under Musharraf for a decade and almost wilted under Zardari, it's great to see Nawaz Sharif forging ahead with the Port development once and for all. The airport is an integral part of the infrastructure for the region.
Another article talking about mega projects in Pakistan - but not much on where your going to find the $46 Billion or whether any of it makes any economic sense. Anyone bother to ask why you need an airport let alone a $8 Billion airport? Anyone bother to perform an economic feasibility study? Lots of talk about a Chinese economic corridor but not much about who pays or how it really benefits Pakistan. Maybe it's time to dampen the emotion/enthusiasm and put your business hat on?
This is important. All these development schemes approved by ECNEC will change the future of Pakistan. PML-N Zindabad.