November 07, 2006	Tuesday	Shawwal 14, 1427

QUETTA, Nov 6: The Balochistan government will approach the federal government for giving tax holiday in the Gwadar Industrial Estate (GIE) to attract local and foreign investment in the new port city.

A meeting of concerned authorities held in Gwadar on Monday, with Chief Minister Jam Mir Mohammad Yousuf in the chair, also reviewed the pace of work for provision of basic infrastructure facilities and other utilities in the GIE.

Provincial ministers Syed Ehsan Shah, Syed Sher Jan Baloch, Chief Secretary K. B Rind, IG Police Ch Yaqub, Gwadar Development Authority managing director Ahmed Bakhsh Lehri, District Nazim Ghfoor Kalmati and other officials attended the meeting.

“We are offering maximum incentives including reduction in duty and other taxes to prospective investors who have applied for plots in the industrial estate,” the chief minister said.

He said that the government would also take steps ensuring right of employment to local people in these industries and added that it was main condition of the provincial government for investors to provide maximum jobs to locals.

“My government will not compromise on the issue of provision of jobs to the local people,” he reaffirmed. The chief minister also visited the newly-constructed labour colony of fishermen and labours in Gwadar.

Earlier, GIE Project Director M. B. Magsi briefed the meeting about the pace of development work.

He said that the 1,000-acre industrial estate would have 700 plots which would be handed over to the owners by the end of December after completion of construction of 13-km road and levelling of plots.

He informed the meeting that the plots had been allotted to those industrialists who had completed all legal requirements.

He further said that work was also started on installing desalination plant having a capacity of two million gallons per day at a cost of Rs750 million of which half amount would be contributed by the federal government.

He said that the GIE would also set up second desalination plant from its own resources which would supply additional 200,000 gallons portable water daily.