CM orders allocation of another 1,500 acres land for Dhabeji SEZ

Initially, 1,530 acres of land was reserved for the economic zone

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah directed on Tuesday the Board of Revenue (BoR) to allot another 1,500 acres of land to the Dhabeji Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and transfer the title of the land to the SEZ so that development of infrastructure could be started.

Shah maintained that Dhabeji SEZ, which is a CPEC priority project, would open new vistas of development and prosperity in the province of Sindh by developing vast economic activity and create a large number of employment opportunities for skilled and unskilled workers.

"I have continuously struggled to gain approval for Dhabeji SEZ and have now finally got it for the people of the province," said Shah while presiding over a meeting on Dhabeji SEZ at the Chief Minister House.

The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary (CS) Mumtaz Shah, Sindh Member Board of Revenue (SMBR) Qazi Shahid Parvez, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister (PSCM) Sajid Jamal Abro, Investment Secretary Najam Shah, Mines and Mineral Secretary Zulfiqar Shah, Works Secretary Imran Atta Soomro, Hyderabad Commissioner Abbas Baloch, Public-Private Partnership Unit Director General Khalid Shaikh, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) Managing Director (MD) Asadullah Khan and K-IV Project Director Asad Zamin, among others.

At the meeting, SMBR Parvez said that 1,530 acres of land has been reserved for the economic zone, at which the chief minister directed him to provide an additional 1,500 acres so that Dhabeji SEZ could be established over an area of 3,000 acres.

Additionally, the investment secretary stated that international tenders have been invited for the development of Dhabeji SEZ, work on which would be started on April 20, 2020. He, however, maintained that the project required direct connectivity with Port Qasim and access to the port was available from Dhabeji creek side. He said that an eight to 10-kilometre-long road would be constructed from that point to connect the economic zone to the port.

The CM approved the proposal and directed for the preparation of PC-I.

Discussion on electricity, gas and leases

Furthermore, the meeting discussed Dhabeji SEZ's need for 10 MGD water. To this effect, the CM directed KWSB MD to develop a scheme to establish a pumping station and provide water at the mouth of the SEZ.

The CM also instructed the Board of Revenue director to give the Right of Way (ROW) to the Works and Services Department, for the construction of roads to the SEZ. Once the connecting roads are developed, other works of electricity and the laying waters lines would be possible.

Investment Secretary Najam Shah informed the CM that the federal government has approved PC-1, worth Rs3.95 billion, for a dedicated 220 kv grid, under the Public Sector Development Pprogramme 2019-20, for Dhabeji SEZ.  The power division, through National Transmission Dispatch Company, would sponsor the scheme. Shah directed the Board of Revenue to allocate and make demarcation of five acres of land for the establishment of the grid station on priority basis. Additionally, it was brought up that a ROW for 220 kv high-rise transmission line is required for the provision of electricity to the zone, as a result of which Shah asked that the demarcation process of ROW for the transmission line be expedited.

Separately, it was discussed that the Sui Southern Gas Company has submitted a PC-1, worth Rs428 million, for the provision of 13.5mmcfd gas to the Ministry of Petroleum. The CM directed the chief secretary to speak to the Ministry of Petroleum to expedite the request.

Mines and Mineral Secretary Zulfiqar Shah told the CM that there were 16 leases for lifting of sand and gravel in area of Dhabeji SEZ. However, 14 of these leases have been cancelled while two others were in the process of cancellation.

The CM stated that he plans on reviewing the progress of the directives he has issued for development of Dhabeji SEZ, within the next month. 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 12^th, 2020.