Gwadar lacks infrastructure, other facilities

[Naveed Yaseen]

KARACHI: Standing Committee on R&D of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry has shown serious concern over the underdevelopment of Gwadar port as according to a fact-finding report prepared by it, Gwadar port lacks the required infrastructural facilities to make it functional and do any significant operations.

The report read that a nearly 750km coastal road from Karachi to Jiwani near the Iranian border has been in operation for sometime, while a 200km branch road that would link the coastal road to the Indus Highway at Ratto Dero is still not developed.

It further pointed out that there are no internal roads and services like water, gas, power and communications for the new township and the industrial area is non-existent.

There are no warehouses or cold storages in the area and no significant progress has been made so far in respect of the development of commercial and residential areas and buildings, while there are also no labour-related amenities for accommodating thousands of workers to be employed on a functional seaport.

Furthermore, the master plan prepared for the development of Gwadar, which was a fishermen’s village, had been approved in 2004.

The western portion had been reserved for development of residential areas while the eastern portion was for industries and warehouses.

However all these expected benefits have remained only in files because there is nothing on the ground so far in and around Gwadar to facilitate such activities, the report further mentioned.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=131615

[LRE]