GWADAR: Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar has said that any development without participation of local people in Gwadar will be meaningless.

Addressing a press conference along with federal Minister for Defence Production Zubaida Jalal on Thursday, Mr Umar said that to overcome the power supply crisis in Gwadar the government was working on a plan to link Makran division with the national grid.

He said the Frontier Works Organisation had been tasked with completing the project as soon as possible, adding that the Quetta Electric Supply Company had already signed an agreement with the FWO. He hoped that the project would be completed by 2023, adding that Gwadar would get 100MW of electricity from the national grid.

Mr Umar said solar panels would be provided to 3,200 houses in Gwadar with Chinese help and the project would be started in March next year.

He said since Shadi and Swad dams had been completed, the water problem would be overcome to some extent while the government was also taking steps to remove hurdles in water supply to old settlements in Gwadar town.

He said China had established two vocational centers in Gwadar where local youths would get training in various skills.

He said China was building a 150-bed hospital in Gwadar and 20 per cent of work on the project had been completed.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2021