Feasibility report on Sheikhupura dry port being prepared

LAHORE: The business community and railways authorities are enthusiastic about the construction of Sheikhupura Dry Port, after the project was approved by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC).

The dry port construction at Bhabrianwala was proposed by the Sheikhupura Chamber of Commerce and Industry back in 2004, but Pakistan Railways (PR) could not implement the project due to absence of sponsors and poor financial conditions.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Pakistan Railways Project Director Altaf Hussain said that preparation of a feasibility report has started after the railways ministry released Rs1 million for Pakistan Railways Advisory and Consultancy Service. This report is expected to be prepared within three months after which it will be sent for administrative approval.

Former project director Sardar Shaikh said that the port is likely to cover 20 acres of land, though a final decision will be taken after the preparation of the report. “Railways has started work on the report, under directions of ECC and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR),” he added.

Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Shahzad Ali Malik – who is in charge of the project – said that the chamber’s aim was to make the port the second largest in the country, after the Karachi Port.

He added that they planned to acquire land and railway tracks from Pakistan Railways, and were in contact with South Korean companies for the acquisition of locomotives for freight train services.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th, 2011.