QUETTA, June 6: The government would reclaim land from sea in Gwadar for construction of roads and other facilities and avoid large-scale dislodging of the local population.

Talking to reporters at a briefing about the government- approved Gwadar master plan held at the chief minister's house on Sunday, Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) Director-General Ahmed Bakhsh Lehri said that no land was allocated for the construction of proposed cantonment in the future port city.

He said that in the first phase only 35 houses would be demolished for the construction of main road linking Gwadar deep- seaport with coastal highway. "The owners would be compensated according to the market rate," Mr Lehri said, adding that if needed additional land would be acquired at the existing market rate.

Replying to a question, he said that the rights of local people would be safeguarded at all cost and soon registration of the local people would begin. In the second phase the people belonging to other parts of Balochistan would be registered and in the third phase people who have come to the port city from other areas of the country would be registered.

"This data would help in protecting the rights of the local population," he said. He said that three berths would be ready for operation by January next year, six months ahead of schedule.

Mr Lehri said that the first phase would be completed at a total cost of $248 million. Referring to port related facilities, he said that five highways were being constructed to connect the port with other parts of the country and further with the Central Asian countries and Afghanistan facilitating trade with them as well as with India and Iran.

The Gwadar Development Authority official said that a road would also be constructed linking Nokudi in Chaghai, which would lead into Afghanistan providing the shortest route for the landlocked Central Asian states.

The road would also help develop mineral resources including marble, copper and iron in Chaghai district and their export, the GDA director-general said. Abdul Raziq Bugti, media advisor to chief minister, said that a political dialogue would be held soon with all political parties to remove misconception about the dislodging of local population.