QUETTA, July 23: A high-level meeting with Chief Minister Jam Mir Mohammad Yousuf in the chair on Saturday was informed that many international firms had shown their interest in taking responsibilities of operating Gwadar port.

The meeting was attended by Provincial Ministers Syed Ehsan Shah and Syed Sher Jan Baloch, Chief Secretary K.B Rind, Chairman Gwadar Port Authority and senior officials of federal ministry of shipping and port and provincial departments.

The meeting reviewed various issues pertaining to development of Gwadar. The heads of the concerned departments briefed the meeting about the progress on the development projects launched in Gwadar.

The Pakistan Railways authorities informed the meeting that the feasibility report for laying railway tracks up to Gwadar had been completed and further progress on the project was going on. Under the project Gwadar would be linked with main railway network which would be extended to Central Asian States.

Quetta Electric Supply Company Chief Executive Officer Brig Tasdaq Hussain Shah informed the meeting that a comprehensive electricity distribution plan had been prepared for Gwadar keeping in view its future power requirements.

The plan, he said, would include setting up of four grid stations to ensure smooth power supply to the port city. He added that Gwadar was among those areas which would be powered with Iranian electricity to be purchased by Qesco.

He further informed the meeting that 30-mw of electricity to be bought by Qesco from Iran would not be enough to meet the future requirements of Gwadar and rest of Makran and suggested availability of more resources to meet future power demand of this port city.

Project Director of Gwadar Industrial Estate Mula Bakhsh Magsi briefed the meeting about the progress on the project, which is being set up on 3,000 acres. He said that all steps were being taken for ensuring provision of maximum facilities to the industrialists.

He said that the industrial estate would house small, medium and big industries and added that the provision of establishing small industries was aimed at attracting investment from local people as well as to encourage them participate in industrialization of the province. It would also have warehouses for providing maximum storage facilities to the industrialists.

Chief Minister Jam Mir Mohammad Yousuf issued directives to the concerned department that effective measures should be taken for the provision of water and electricity in the industrial estate and asked the Qesco authorities to review the possibilities of providing electricity to the industrial units on reduced rates.

The officials of the National Highway Authority (NHA) informed the meeting that Khuzdar-Reto Dero road would be completed by June 2006 while work on alternative Reto Dero road (M-7) from Lyari would be started very soon.

The meeting was further informed that the loan provided by the Asian Development Bank for construction of highways in the province was transferred to the NHA which would launch work on all the approved projects very soon.

It was decided that a high-level meeting would be held quarterly for reviewing the progress on Gwadar development projects.