Gwadar airport to be constructed at cost of $260 million

ISLAMABAD: The Parliamentary Committee on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor was informed on Thursday that the Gwadar International Airport was being constructed at a cost of $260 million.

The committee meeting was chaired by Senator Mushahid Hussain.The amount for the airport is a full grant from the Chinese government and this would be an airport of international standards capable of handling the largest of passenger planes including the A-380 jet.

Additionally, the Chinese government has given a grant of $10 million for building the Pakistan-China Vocational and Technical Training Institute which will be helping the local population of Gwadar getting skills and employment.

The meeting began with a briefing by the chairman of the committee on their recent visit to China.He also presented the report on China visit, which took place during May 21-27 2016. The members appreciated the invitation from the Chinese government to the Parliamentary Committee and also praised the positive work that the committee undertook during its visit to China.

The meeting also congratulated Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo, member of the Parliamentary Committee, on his assumption of office of the Minister for Ports and Shipping and hoped that under his leadership the Gwadar Port project would take off in the near future.

The minister for port and shipping as well as the chairman Gwadar Port Authority and secretary of the Ministry of Ports and Shipping gave a comprehensive update and briefing on the development work pertaining to the Gwadar Port.

The GPA chairman also informed that the water problem of Gwadar was being sorted out with the construction of Sawad Dam where water would be provided to Gwadar through a 83-km pipeline and the water shortage of Gwadar would be resolved in that manner.

A briefing was also given on various financial incentives being provided to potential investors in the Special Economic Zone of Gwadar as a result of which there was a growing interest among investors both in Pakistan and abroad for investment in the Special Economic Zone.

With these new incentives the Gwadar Port is also being activated and three new ships will arrive from China bringing the construction material in July 2016.

Regarding the provision of electricity for Gwadar, the committee was informed by the Ministry of Water and Power that as a result of an agreement with an Iranian company an additional 100 MW of electricity would be available for Gwadar by the end of 2017.

Parliamentary Committee chairman said during the visit to China he underlined that the Parliamentary Committee in its working was guided by three key principles namely consensus through consultation with all political parties and provinces, transparency in projects and decision making and inclusive development with a focus on implementation in letter and spirit of the decisions taken at All Parties Conference held at the Prime Minister’s House on May 28, 2015.