Quetta Safe City project approved, IT minister tells assembly

Khetran says similar projects to be launched in Gwadar, other districts

QUETTA: Balochistan Minister for Information Technology Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran informed the Balochistan Assembly on Thursday that provincial government had approved Quetta Safe City Project (QSCP), which would cost Rs2.28 billion.

Speaking on a resolution jointly presented by opposition members Nasarullah Zeray, Sham Lal, and Shahina Bibi, he said the safe city projects would also be launched in Gwadar and all divisional and district headquarters soon.

He said that the QSCP was pending for long, adding work on the project would start soon.

The opposition members through their resolution demanded that Balochistan Assembly should be converted into e-assembly as was done by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.



Deputy Speaker Sardar Babar Khan Musakhail who was presiding over the session supported the resolution and the treasury benches also backed the call. The resolution was adopted without any opposition.

Though Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan was present in the house, Khateran took the floor and informed the house about government’s decision regarding the QSCP.

He said that the government would soon establish IT village in Quetta for which Rs500 million had been allocated, adding land for the purpose would be provided soon. In the IT village, he said educated youth would be given technical training.

The assembly adopted another resolution moved by Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) leader Malik Naseer Ahmed Shahwani. The resolution called upon the government to increase the maximum age limit for government jobs from 40 to 43 years.

Speaking about the resolution, the IT minister said the government had already taken a decision and increased the age limit from 40 to 43 years.

“Provincial government led by Chief Minister Jam Kamal has taken this decision to provide opportunity to the jobless youth and other people to apply for vacant posts in different departments,” said Khetran.



Provincial Minister for Information and Higher Education Zahoor Ahmed Buledi said that the government was making all-out efforts to resolve the unemployment issue and soon process would be launched for filling vacant posts in government departments.

He said that the government would also approach the federal government for providing jobs according to Balochistan’s constitutional quota.

“Around 20,000 jobs of Balochistan’s quota are pending in different federal government services and autonomous bodies,” Buledi said, adding that during recent visit of federal finance minister it was decided to set up ship-breaking yard in Gwadar that would create 25,000 to 30,000 jobs.

He also said the provincial government has urged the Chinese government to establish industrial zones in the province.

The house also adopted two other resolutions moved by opposition leader Advocate Malik Sikandar Khan who urged the government to make highway police more effective on Quetta-Karachi Highway so incidents could be avoided.

The other resolution was moved by Haji Muhammad Nawaz who demanded natural gas supply to Gulistan and Qila Abdullah.