July 08, 2008	Tuesday	Rajab 4, 1429

ISLAMABAD, July 7: A Senate committee was informed on Monday that Gwadar Port would be made fully operational and connected to Iran by the end of the year.

Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping Qamar Zaman Kaira informed the committee on ports and shipping that the government was taking measures to hold the next meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) in Gwadar to take up all outstanding issues on the spot.

The committee which met under the chairpersonship of Senator Mrs Gulshan Saeed reviewed the ongoing projects of the National Highway Authority, Wapda, Civil Aviation Authority and Pakistan Railways and the plans being envisaged by the Ministry of Ports and Shipping to make the Gwadar Port fully operational.

Secretary Ministry of Ports and Shipping informed the committee that the port had been completed and was operational. He said that in order to boost the operational activities, it had been decided in the last ECC meeting that all wheat import for Balochistan would be routed through Gwadar. The committee was informed that the master plan of the port had not been finalised so far.

Regarding sweet drinking water, the committee was informed that a desalination plant of 100,000 gallon per day capacity would be operational in two months. It was suggested that efforts be made to get water from nearby dams, like Shadi Kol and Basole.