Province lists out 45 projects for federal funding

Kamal tells authorities to ensure timely submission of PC-I

QUETTA: Balochistan has finalised 45 development projects of the province worth Rs218 billion to be presented to the federal government for inclusion in the federal Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for 2019-20.

Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani chaired the high-level meeting that reviewed the projects before approving it for inclusion in federal PSDP. The preparation of the PC-I of the proposed projects and completion of other formalities of these projects would be handed over to Federal government.

Of these 45 projects, 15 pertain to roads, 17 are regarding water, five pertain to tourism and industry, five are of the Gwadar Development Authority, while the remaining three are for urban development. The cost of the project is to be around Rs218 billion.

The meeting also decided to request the federal government to restore all suspended development projects of Balochistan including those of the federal PSDP.

It was informed by planning and development department officials regarding the progress of proposed development projects in the province for the federal PSDP. The meeting reviewed the proposed projects of Gadani Industrial Zone and the special economic zone and decided that with the cooperation and help of the federal government these projects would be implemented in the next financial year.

CM Kamal said that Gadani could be the next major port due to its vast coastline and be a viable alternative to Port Qasim due to its proximity to Karachi.

He also emphasised the importance of dams to address the province’s water crisis. “We need maximum dams to store flood water.”

The chief minister also directed the authorities concerned to send proposed projects to the planning commission in time while underscoring the importance of the federal government for the development of Balochistan.

“Islamabad’s response Islamabad is positive in this regard. We are hopeful that the 45 proposed development projects will be made part of next year’s federal PSDP,” he remarked.

The chief minister also spoke about the importance of enhance the Balochistan’s revenue generation capacity, while calling on all departments to work to increase the annual income of the province tenfold.

Housing legislation

Meanwhile, the chief minister on Thursday directed the planning and development (P&D) department to finalise the bill of new legislation for Balochistan Housing Authority. He also directed the authorities of P&D department to submit the bill in next cabinet meeting, which would then be presented in the Balochistan assembly for debate.