QUETTA: The Parlia­mentary Committee on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CEPC) has urged the authorities concerned to complete the construction of New Gwadar Inter­national Airport as soon as possible as it has great importance for attracting investors.

A meeting of the committee presided over by its Chairman Sher Ali Arbab, MNA, in Gwadar on Sunday received briefing on various infrastructure, energy and socio-economic development projects under the CPEC framework.

Members of the committee Aslam Bhootani, Sadaqat Ali Abbasi, Noor Alam Khan, Murtaza Javed Abbasi and Zahid Akram Durrani attended the meeting.

The Civil Aviation Division secretary briefed the committee on the progress of work on the airport.

The committee observed that timely operation of the airport would prove conducive for effective operationalision of Gwadar deep seaport and recommended its expeditious completion and avoiding delay caused either by Pakistan or Chinese side. The institutional efforts should be made to take up the issue with the Chinese side to meet the timelines for completion of the project.

The Gwadar Port Authority chairman briefed the committee on Gwadar Port Free Zone, East Bay Expressway and Pak-China Technical and Vocational Institute.

He informed the committee that the Gwadar Free Zone Policy had been approved which provided potential incentives for imports and exports and it would pave the way for triggering economic activities in Pakistan.

He assured the committee that the local people from whom the land was acquired would be paid compensation within three months so that the CPEC’s development process could create ease in their lives and attract massive local ownership instead of causing difficulties for them.

The committee recommended that the difficulties faced by local fishermen in Gwadar should be resolved at the earliest. It also proposed that the work on the desalination water plant should be expedited and timelines of the projects must be met. It also recommended that a special session of the committee should be convened with all stakeholders to help carry out the execution of the desalination plant.

The committee decided to convene a special meeting to sort out issues of energy and Gwadar Development Authority with other stakeholders to ensure the timely completion of the specific projects at Gwadar.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2021