Gwadar’s industrial estate to be ready soon



By Our Staff Correspondent


QUETTA: The first industrial estate of the emerging port city of Gwadar will be functional by the end of the year. Over 1,100 plots have been allotted to industrialists in the estate.

The Balochistan government has earmarked over 3,000 acres of land for the estate and development work was inaugurated by Chief Minister Jam Mir Mohammad Yousuf.

This would be the biggest industrial estate in Balochistan, Jam Yousuf said on the occasion, adding that Gwadar would play an important role in boosting Pakistan’s economic and industrial hubs.

The government would provide protection to investors and their capital, the chief minister said, adding that he would take up the issue of incentive package for the estate with the federal government.

The project director of the estate, M. B. Magsi, said that in the first phase, a special committee had allotted 1,136 acres of land to industrialists while 455 applications were pending.

He said that development work was under way and seven acres of land had been handed over to the Quetta Electricity Supply Company for construction of a 24-mw grid station. It would cost Rs100 million and get power supply from Iran.

He said that a desalination plant with a capacity of 20 million litres would also be set up to meet the requirements of the industrial estate.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz during the recent ground-breaking ceremony had promised that half of the cost of the desalination plant would be met by the federal government and the other half by the provincial government.

Govt to welcome Iranian cooperation in setting up coastal refinery at Gwadar: Mengal

ISLAMABAD: Minister of state for Petroleum and Natural Resources Muhammad Naseer Mengal has said that government would welcome Iranian cooperation in setting up costal refinery at Gwadar for the mutual advantage.

He said this while talking to visiting Iranian Deputy petroleum Minister Nejad Hosseinian who called on him here Tuesday.

Federal secretary petroleum Ahmed Waqar, Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan and members of his delegation were also present during the meeting.

The Minister of state said that Pakistan and Iran were enjoying deep routed cordial and friendly relations based on common religion and culture and brotherhood.

He said that there exists a lot of potential and scope for expanding the existing volume of interaction and proposed Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) project would be mild stone in the history of both countries.

Nasser Mengal said that both the leadership have unanimity of view to implement the IPI gas pipeline project as quickly as possible for the benefit of the regional countries.

He expressed satisfaction over the pace of progress on gas pipeline and hoped that 5th Joint working group meeting would provide fruitful outcome for gearing up the project.

Reciprocating his sentiments, the Iranian deputy minister thanked the petroleum ministry and government of Pakistan for extending warm welcome and hospitality to the delegation.

He briefed the Minister about the updated progress on IPI gas pipeline project, adding that it would go a long way to explore new vistas of cooperation between the member states.

Pakistan should speed up the process. Its getting bogged down because of lazy politicians !

I hope that the Industrial units are allotted to only successful implementers of bids. Many budding industrialists manage to get plots and then due to lack of capital generating capacity can only set up match-making, flour and sugar crushing factories etc etc...Those types can be left for other places. Gawadar needs large scale manufacturing industries.