Gwadar (November 22, 2017): Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi performed the groundbreaking of Eastbay expressway in Gwadar on Wednesday.
Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said the fifteen billion rupees project will provide a vital link from Gwadar to the Makran Coastal Highway.
He was confident that the expressway will be completed in the stipulated period.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that the series of projects started in Gwadar reflect the unparalleled relations between China and Pakistan. He said it is a time test relationship spanning over seventy years and the development of Gwadar is a concrete example of China-Pakistan cooperation.
The Prime Minister expressed the confidence that the multi billion dollars CPEC will add a new dimension to the friendship between the two countries. He said the CPEC reflects the vision of Chinese President Xi Jinping and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He said the CPEC now enjoys support in all the provinces.
The Prime Minister said that the first pilot free economic zone project under the CPEC will complete this year while work on the other three is continuing. The groundbreaking of Gwadar Airport will soon be performed while water and power problems of the area will also be addressed.
He said development of Gwadar costing 170 billion rupees is on the track. He expressed the confidence that this will transform Gwadar from a small fishing town into a city of global importance because of its geo strategic location.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi asked Balochistan government to ensure that the people of the area take full benefit from the development of Gwadar. He said the provincial government should give special emphasis to the training and rehabilitation of local population besides ensuring that they get jobs. He also emphasized the need for further development of shipbuilding industry in Gwadar.
The 19km-long East Bay Expressway of Gwadar had been constructed, 14km along the shore and 5km offshore. While the Southern Bay Expressway will be completed by Jan 2018 and the Northern Bay Expressway by Dec 2018.
The government has decided to start construction work at Gwadar Port by March 2018. Chinese and Pakistani investors will get an equal opportunity to invest in economic zones that will be established along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting on the CPEC, chaired by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, on Friday.
Feasibility study of the construction of Gwadar Port was complete and the construction could begin as early as March 2018. The project will be completed in three years.
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