Gwadar port to be taken over by Chinese company: Minister informs Senate body | Pak Navy Asked to Vacate Land

[LRE]

PSA, partners allowed to sell shareholding


* Permission given after govt fails to provide 584 acres for establishment of Gwadar Industrial Estate

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) and its local partners have been allowed to sell their shareholding in Gwadar Port after the government failed to provide over 584 acres land for establishment of Gwadar Industrial Estate.
The committee directed the Pakistan Navy, Balochistan government, Ministry of Ports and Shipping and Coast Guards to complete transfer of 350 acres of land to Navy in three weeks and hand over Shamba Ismael Land to the Gwadar Port, otherwise it would see to it that the land in question was surrendered under land revenue act to the provincial government.
Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping Babar Khan Ghauri here on Tuesday told a Senate Committee on Ports and Shipping that the government was unable to provide land as required under an agreement with PSA and they have left the port. “We have issued PSA a No Objection Certification (NOC) on Monday to leave the port,” he said and added that it was shameful for the government.
He said that the port operations may be taken over by Chinese, but added that unless the said land was vacated by Pakistan Navy, the project may not achieve its desired objectives. He said the Chinese were asked in the past to take part in the bidding for operations of Gwadar Port, which they had declined but perhaps they have found some interest there.
Ghauri said the three armed forces were allotted about 25,000 acres of land to vacate Gwadar land but then Navy started to change its position and first demanded Rs 10 million per acre that it had purchased at Rs 180 per acre, then demanded alternate land of 1,000 acres and increased to 1,615 acres. He said these demands were not acceptable and the provincial government was ready to provide equal land (584 acres) of which 350 acres of government land was readily available while remaining would be provided after purchasing from private owners.
The chairman of the committee Sardar Fateh Muhammad Hassani said it was strange that international investors were leaving Balochistan and wondered why nobody was seeing to it that Chinese were taking out white gold from Saindak Cooper Gold Project by bribing two representatives of Export Processing Zone and there was no record what were they taking out and even extended their contract. “I have my reservations about the Chinese,” he said.
Mir Hasil Khan Bizinju said the Gwadar Port project would never succeed unless the M-8 road project was completed which had been delayed from 2007 to 2016. The road project was important to connect Gwadar with rest of the country through Ratodero and Karachi.
A representative of Pakistan Navy said the Singaporeans were not moving out because of land problem and claimed that the Naval Land at Shamba Ismail had been under the control of Pakistan Navy since 1980 and the piece of land had been included in the Gwadar port project without consultations with Navy.
He said the piece of land under question was important for Navy from Seaward Security of Gwadar Port and Harbour protection and its importance had increased after recent Kamra terrorist attack. He said the prime minister had allowed Navy in 2006 to retain the land but it was ready to vacate if it was provided 1000 acres of alternate land with proper opening to seafront.
Senior Member Revenue Balochistan government said the law required the Pakistan Navy to return the land at the rate of Rs 180 per acre at which it had acquired 20 years ago as it did not utilise the land for which it was allotted. He said the Navy was taking contradictory positions and increasing its demand for alternate land to 1,615 acres.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...2012_pg5_7