KARACHI: Two islands go to foreign firm without Sindh govt’s knowledge
By Habib Khan Ghori
KARACHI, Sept 30: Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Rahim has expressed his ignorance about the much publicised plan of developing ‘a new city of international standards’ on the threshold of Port Qasim.
He was responding to newsmen’s queries about the plan unfolded by chairman of the Port Qasim Authority who had stated that “the government has allotted 12,000-acre piece of
land to a Gulf-based construction firm for developing the city off the Karachi coastline.”
Dr Arbab said he had heard about such a plan but the provincial government had not yet been taken into confidence in this regard. He stated that he would be taking up the issue with the federal government.
The chief minister was talking to a group of journalists at the CM’s House after an Iftar dinner he had hosted for diplomats, judges, political leaders and elite of the city on Saturday. “The Sindh government has not even been consulted about the plan,” he said.
According to the reported plan, the new city of international standards will be built on the twin islands of Bundal and Buddo, located close to the Port Qasim and the design of the proposed city will be prepared on the pattern of that of Dubai.
The estimated cost of the mega project has been put at $43 billion.
In reply to other questions, the chief minister said that his government was considering a proposal to build a 300-km-long coastal road starting from the Port Qasim.
Regarding possibility of expansion in the provincial cabinet, Dr Arbab said there was no such proposal under consideration at the moment. He, however, did not rule out more advisers added to the set up, saying that changes in the portfolios of certain ministers were also on the card.
When the chief minister’s attention was drawn to the recent changes in the portfolios of MQM ministers and advisers, he said it was an internal matter of that party.
About commencement of the sugarcane crushing season in Sindh, Dr Arbab said that a notification to this effect had been issued and sugar mills had been asked to start the crushing
process on October 1. However, he added, the representative body of sugar mills owners and operators had cited certain problems that might cause some delay.
“If these problems appeared genuine, the date could be extended by one week,” the chief minister said, but made it clear that appropriate action would be taken against those sugar mills which would refuse to start crushing during the month of October.
In reply to another question, he rejected criticism of President Gen Pervez Musharraf for, what has been alleged by opposition leaders, ‘exposing the country’s secrets’ in his book. The chief minister was of the view that President Musharraf had done a good job by plead the Pakistan case forcefully in his book.
