QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani has suggested construction of another deep-sea port and a shipbuilding yard at Makran coast.

Speaking to the editors and senior journalists at the Chief Minister House on Tuesday he said that the site for the new port would be decided after the proposal is finalised. However, the shipbuilding yard could be set up at Ormara.

He said that he was also making efforts to set up Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) in different areas of the province that would help in providing resources for resolving the long time financial crisis of the province.

The chief minister pointed out that possibly, these ROZs would be established in Quetta, Khanozai, Makran, Nasirabad, Khuzdar and some other areas, where industries would be set up with the US financial assistance.

The US would provide raw materials as well as the duty-free access to its markets for disposing of production of these industrial units, Nawab Raisani disclosed.

Referring to the Gwadar Port he said that he had expressed his reservations about the contract signed with Port of Singapore for running the port and demanded that the contract should be cancelled or rectified in favour of Balochistan.

The chief minister offered free of cost plots to the neighbouring countries, including Iran, Afghanistan, and Turkey for establishing their trade consulates for making Gwadar a hub of regional trade and economic activities.

He said that he had suggested to the president in writing to invite a consortium of ECO countries to discuss ways and means for promotion of communications among the member countries.

In order to strengthen communications Quetta -Taftan railway track is being upgraded and the first international goods train would leave Islamabad for Turkey via Quetta and Iran on August 14, 2009. Responding to a question about the federal government’s financial assistance to Balochistan, he said that he and all coalition partners made efforts to get maximum funds for the development of the province.

He said that the National Economic Council (NEC) had approved Rs50 billion for Balochistan in the federal PSDP. The province succeeded in its efforts to get a total amount of Rs80 billion for the next financial year.

He said that Rs17.5 billion overdraft was not included in this amount and the federal government would pay the same to the State Bank.