KARACHI, June 06 (APP) : Ports in the country can be handed over to the provinces as a provincial subject under the spirit of maximum provincial autonomy, says Minister for Ports & Shipping Qamar-uz-Zaman Kaira.
During his visit to Port Qasim on Friday when his attention was drawn by media to the demand of Baloch nationalist leaders that they would campaign for transfer of the ownership rights of Gwadar Port to Balochistan, the Minister replied that the Government has already decided to minimize items on the Concurrent list to possible level.
Gwadar Port owns only 600 acres of land and the rest land is occupied by private housing schemes under the administration of Balochistan Government, he said.
“ We have planned to sit with all stakeholder and review what items/subjects can be transferred to the Provinces under the first phase of giving provincial autonomy ,” the Minister said.
He said Pakistan People’s Party has always supported provincial autonomy and was seriously working for the same.
Mr Kaira emphasized that it was need of the hour to modernise/ upgrade and expand our ports to meet the growing trade requirements of the country , of the region and of the global economy.
Till now , he said, Pakistan’s ports are as single country ports and plans were in progress to transform these into major ports in the region where mother ships can be anchored.
He informed the media that the Government has been making its best efforts to bring Gwadar Port in operation at earliest. Gwadar port has dual role. Under the first phase, it performs as a transhipment port , he said adding that one ship bringing wheat was anchored at Gwadar earlier this year.
Gwadar port , which is a deep-sea port , needs modern infrastructure and allied facilities to play its leading role in promotion of investment and trade upto Central Asian States. It would be also cheeper for some parts of China and India to do business through this port because of its geo important location.
The roads and railways network connecting the Port with other areas of the country would be completed before end of 2010, he said.
He said five member Cabinet Committee, with due representation from Balochistan, has been constituted which is looking into the matters of Gwadar Port and framing viable plan to make this port operational at the earliest.
He said when Gwadar Port would be fully operational, it would help boost the national economy and large number of job opportunities, direct and indirect, would be created for the people especially those from Baluchistan.
Minister for Ports and Shipping, Qamar-uz-Zaman Kaira told media that Port Qasim and Karachi Port (KPT) were delivering good and were progressing day by day. These earn big amount of profits every year. However, more development projects were in line with maximum utilization of their own resources in very transparent manner.
The projects worth billions of rupees are in public sector, and under private and public sector partnership.
He said the channels of both the ports were being deepened and widened, new berths and terminals were being constructed for enhancing the scope of these ports to attract more business and investment in Pakistan.
KPT and Port Qasim has already cut their charges significantly and had improved quality of services to port users to emerge as cost, services and time competitive ports in the region.
Port Qasim, he said, caters to around 40 percent of the import and export of the country.
He said the Government was providing more facilities and services at the industrial zones of Port Qasim to attract more foreign direct investment (FDI).
To a query from a reporter, the Minister told that Keti Bandar was still at planning stage and the work on this mega project would start after the completion of its home-work.
This would be another milestone towards strengthening of Pakistan’s economy, and for socio-economic uplift of the people especially of those residing in adjacent areas of Sindh province.
Secretary, Ports and Shipping, Muhammad Saleem and Chairman PQA, Syed Afzal and Director Generals of PQA Faqir Oshaq Ali Hesbani and Afsaruddin Talpur were also present.
During his visit to Port Qasim on Friday when his attention was drawn by media to the demand of Baloch nationalist leaders that they would campaign for transfer of the ownership rights of Gwadar Port to Balochistan, the Minister replied that the Government has already decided to minimize items on the Concurrent list to possible level.
Gwadar Port owns only 600 acres of land and the rest land is occupied by private housing schemes under the administration of Balochistan Government, he said.
“ We have planned to sit with all stakeholder and review what items/subjects can be transferred to the Provinces under the first phase of giving provincial autonomy ,” the Minister said.
He said Pakistan People’s Party has always supported provincial autonomy and was seriously working for the same.
Mr Kaira emphasized that it was need of the hour to modernise/ upgrade and expand our ports to meet the growing trade requirements of the country , of the region and of the global economy.
Till now , he said, Pakistan’s ports are as single country ports and plans were in progress to transform these into major ports in the region where mother ships can be anchored.
He informed the media that the Government has been making its best efforts to bring Gwadar Port in operation at earliest. Gwadar port has dual role. Under the first phase, it performs as a transhipment port , he said adding that one ship bringing wheat was anchored at Gwadar earlier this year.
Gwadar port , which is a deep-sea port , needs modern infrastructure and allied facilities to play its leading role in promotion of investment and trade upto Central Asian States. It would be also cheeper for some parts of China and India to do business through this port because of its geo important location.
The roads and railways network connecting the Port with other areas of the country would be completed before end of 2010, he said.
He said five member Cabinet Committee, with due representation from Balochistan, has been constituted which is looking into the matters of Gwadar Port and framing viable plan to make this port operational at the earliest.
He said when Gwadar Port would be fully operational, it would help boost the national economy and large number of job opportunities, direct and indirect, would be created for the people especially those from Baluchistan.
Minister for Ports and Shipping, Qamar-uz-Zaman Kaira told media that Port Qasim and Karachi Port (KPT) were delivering good and were progressing day by day. These earn big amount of profits every year. However, more development projects were in line with maximum utilization of their own resources in very transparent manner.
The projects worth billions of rupees are in public sector, and under private and public sector partnership.
He said the channels of both the ports were being deepened and widened, new berths and terminals were being constructed for enhancing the scope of these ports to attract more business and investment in Pakistan.
KPT and Port Qasim has already cut their charges significantly and had improved quality of services to port users to emerge as cost, services and time competitive ports in the region.
Port Qasim, he said, caters to around 40 percent of the import and export of the country.
He said the Government was providing more facilities and services at the industrial zones of Port Qasim to attract more foreign direct investment (FDI).
To a query from a reporter, the Minister told that Keti Bandar was still at planning stage and the work on this mega project would start after the completion of its home-work.
This would be another milestone towards strengthening of Pakistan’s economy, and for socio-economic uplift of the people especially of those residing in adjacent areas of Sindh province.
Secretary, Ports and Shipping, Muhammad Saleem and Chairman PQA, Syed Afzal and Director Generals of PQA Faqir Oshaq Ali Hesbani and Afsaruddin Talpur were also present.
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