Iran to provide 1,100 MW to Balochistan industrial estates

[LahoreEstate]

Saturday, February 14, 2009
QUETTA: Minister of State for Industries and Production Dr Ataullah Durrani on Friday said that Iran had agreed to provide 1,100 megawatt power to six industrial estates being set up in Balochistan.

Addressing a press conference here, he said the Iranian assistance would greatly help flourish industrial culture in the province, which would, on the one hand, attract private investment to various sectors while, on the other hand, eliminate unemployment in the province to a considerable extent.

He said the federal government was determined that Balochistan should be the chief beneficiary of the Gwadar Port and in this regard, it might withdraw all the agreements reached by the previous government wherein in the province’s interests regarding the port had been undermined.

He said the PPP government was fully conscious of the injustices done to the province in the past and committed to its compensation by extending maximum financial assistance to the province, so that it could overcome its backwardness.

Expressing gratitude to President Asif Ali Zardari and his team for writing off all the State Bank loans against the province, he said those loans had been obtained by the previous provincial governments, and the incumbent federal government, keeping in view the financial hardships of the province, had waived off all the loans in order to empower the province financially.

A huge amount of the provincial budget used to go under debt servicing to the State Bank, disabling the provincial government to implement several public service schemes. He, however, said the step would certainly end the financial crisis of the province, enabling it to expand its public sector development programme, so that no human settlement across the province remained deprived of fruits of development.

The minister rejected the impression of shortage of wheat and fertiliser in the province and said the department concerned had ensured sufficient fertiliser stock at all its utility stores and agriculture centres across the province.

Farmers could purchase the urea they needed from these stores on subsidised rates, he said, adding that the provincial Food Department had sufficient reserves of wheat, which could cater for the need of the province.

He said the federal government would ensure the availability of urea to the province in accordance with its needs. To a question regarding the smuggling of wheat and urea to Afghanistan from the province, the minister called for the people to help the government overcome smuggling from the province.

http://thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=162475