ISLAMABAD - A Parliamentary committee was Wednesday informed that China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC) has completed feasibility study for the construction of 1000 meter long new terminal with 5 additional berths at Gwadar.

Briefing the 65th meeting of the Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Reform here, Gwadar Port Authority Chairman Dostain Khan Jamaldini said that the feasibility study for the construction of new terminal at Gwadar was completed and 300 employees of COPHC are currently working at site.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Abdul Majeed Khan Khanankhail, MNA.

The committee was informed that Gwadar port has been operational and first ever container vessel MS Tiger under CPEC project arrived at Gwadar Port on 7th March and second on 14th March, Jamaldini informed.

The committee was informed that COPHC has completed feasibility study for the construction of 1000 meter long new terminal with 5 additional berths.

The Chinese company has installed a sanitation plant with the capacity of two lakh gallon per day water at Gwadar, he added. The meeting was informed that work on Gwadar international airport will be commenced shortly. The company nominated by China for the execution of the airport project got the clearance for financing, he added. The execution of all these projects will make Gwadar a hub of international business, claimed chairman Gwadar Port Authority (GPA).

The officials of Pakistan Railway informed the committee that the paper work of the Pakistan Railway project ML-1 is completed and it be tabled before CDWP and ENEC for approval.  All technical issues have been resolved and the up-gradation of the ML-1 would start within 3 months, they added.  Besides, work on railway project ML-2 and ML-3 are also in the pipeline, the official said. The completion of all these tracks will reduce the distance by half, the official added.

Regarding the CPEC Special Economic Zones (SEZs) it was informed that some of the SEZs are ready for execution. The government has established one window facility to facilitate the prospective investors in SEZs. The committee unanimously confirmed the minutes of its 64th meeting held on 27th February, 2018.

The meeting was attended by MNA Malik Ibrar Ahmed, Dr  Asma Mamdot, Shazia Sohil Mir, Shamasun Nisa, Shaheen Shafiq and Iftikharud Din. The senior officers from the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform, Railway, Gwadar Development Authority and Gwadar Port Authority also attended the meeting.