GWADAR, May 13: The Planning Commission has assured the Balochistan government of its full support for making the Gwadar port fully functional and completing the road network to link it with other parts of the country.

However, the commission’s deputy chairman Dr Nadeemul Haq has asked the provincial government to review the port’s feasibility report, keeping in view its economic viability.

“Most development projects in the country have been launched without properly preparing a feasibility report,” he told Dawn after a meeting held in the port town on Sunday.

When during the meeting Dr Haq asked the officials concerned about the feasibility report and who had prepared it, they said they would brief the Planning Commission on the matter at a coming meeting to be held in Islamabad.

The deputy chairman of the Planning Commission advised the provincial government to study the report and look into the prospects for its development in line with the progress made by ports in Iran and Dubai.

“The provincial government should submit its recommendations to the centre before decisions are taken for making the Gwadar port operational in the near future,” he said, adding that the proposals would be reviewed at a meeting between the provincial cabinet and the prime minister to be held in Islamabad soon.

He said the federal government was determined to make the port fully operational in the near future, but it was necessary to review its economic prospects.

He said it should be ensured that it was a viable project instead of making ambitious proposals.

Dr Haq said the federal government would issue directives to the National Highway Authority (NHA) for early completion of the Gwadar-Turbat-Ratodero highway.

He asked officials of the Gwadar Port Authority to explain why the Singapore Port Authority, which had been awarded contract for port operation by the Musharraf government for 40 years, was not working there.

The meeting was informed that the work on the highway was likely to be completed in a couple of months and Rs15 billion of the Rs18 billion estimated cost had been spent on it.

Dr Haq said the remaining Rs3 billion would be placed at the disposal of the Balochistan government for release to the NHA after reviewing the pace of the work.

NHA’s representative Mohammad Musa said the contractor and labourers were reluctant to resume work because of security concerns. Balochistan Chief Secretary Fatah Yaqoob said all security agencies had promised their support for security of officials involved in development projects.

He said failure of the port project would impact adversely on the province’s development.

The official said it had been envisaged in the feasibility report that 6.2 million tons of cargo would be handled at the port by 2030. Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani said elaborate security arrangements would be made for the contractors and labourers working on highways.

He said NHA officials had written directly to the federal government instead of informing the provincial authorities about their problems.

The chief minister complained about non-implementation of the Balochistan package.

He pointed out that a notification for appointing the Balochistan chief minister as chairman of the Gwadar Port Authority was pending without any reason.

He said the NHA had committed to complete the Quetta-Karachi highway by June 2010, but the work was still incomplete.