Parliamentary Committee on CPEC for expediting process of disbursement of payments among affectees of damaged houses and land acquisitions in Gwadar
ISLAMABAD - Parliamentary Committee on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Thursday directed the departments concerned to expedite the process of disbursement of payments among the affectees of damaged houses and land acquisitions in Gwadar.
The Parliamentary Committee on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which met with Sher Ali Arbab, MNA in the chair, was assured by Secretary, Aviation Division that the New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA) will be fully operational by September, 2023.
The Committee was briefed by the Secretary, Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Secretary, Aviation Division, Secretary, Maritime Affairs, Chairman, WAPDA, Secretary, Planning and Development, KP, Chairman, Gwadar Port Authority, Director General, Gwadar Development Authority and other concerned regarding Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC), D.I. Khan and compliance report on the recommendations of the Committee made in its previous meeting held on 20th March, 2021 at Gwadar.
The Committee took up the agenda on Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC), D.I. Khan which was deferred in the previous meeting. Chairman, WAPDA apprised the Committee that feasibility study and the detailed engineering design of the project would be completed by March next year. Chairman remarked that the project is pivotal for the agriculture sector in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and decided that the Committee will convene special follow up meeting on the said project in February next year to ensure that the given timelines are met in letter and spirit.
The chairman remarked that Gwadar is gateway to CPEC and undeniably important in entire rationale behind CPEC. We have to place it at high priority therefore no effort should be spared in resolving all the outstanding issues of clean water, electricity, infrastructure and livelihoods faced by the people of Gwadar, he said. The Committee directed the concerned departments to expedite the process of payments to be disbursed among the affectees of damaged houses and land acquisitions so that people of Gwadar, who are already agitating for basic amenities of life, could be compensated. The Committee also inquired about the progress on New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA). The Secretary, Aviation Division assured the Committee that the airport will be fully operational by September, 2023.
Chairman, Gwadar Port Authority informed that all the efforts regarding completion of Pak-China Technical & Vocational Institute are on the track and the project will be completed in December 2021. Gwadar Port Authority is also consulting with NAVTTC, TEVTA and Chinese to devise a broad curriculum for the institute. The Committee remarked that while keeping present and future skills required in view, the curriculum for the institute should be devised in a way that there must not be any gap between the skills required and offered in the institute.
The Committee remarked that $1 billion grant given by China for socio-economic development projects under CPEC framework should be utilized effectively by including the projects having high social impacts and high visibility. The Committee directed M/o Planning, Development and Special Initiatives to devise a comprehensive framework through which provinces may choose the projects which could bring value addition and meet true sense of socio-economic development.
The meeting was attended by Sadaqat Ali Khan Abbasi, MNA, Umar Aslam Khan, MNA, Mir Khan Muhammad Jamali, MNA, Nafeesa Inayatullah Khan Khattak, MNA, Ghous Bux Khan Mahar, MNA, Murtaza Javed Abbasi, MNA, Mehnaz Akber Aziz, MNA, Raza Rabani Khar, MNA, Zahid Akram Durrani, MNA, Senator Muhammad Tahir Bizinjo and Senator Khalida Ateeb.
