QUETTA, Nov 20: Oman has given a grant of $17 million to the Balochistan government for building an airport of international standard in Gwadar. According to official sources, 43,000 acres of land have been acquired for the airport that will have latest facilities.

The Civil Aviation Authority's Director General Air Marshal (retd) Khalid Chaudhry discussed the project with Balochistan Chief Secretary Mir Ahmed Bakhsh Lehri.

The airport will be designed for both passenger and cargo flights.

The sources said the provincial government was taking serious steps to make Gwadar the winter capital of Balochistan besides making the port functional.

“The chief secretary has issued directives to ensure reopening of a five-star hotel in the town that was closed a few months ago,” they said, adding that the hotel's administration had been asked to take steps in this regard.

The chief secretary and the Chief Minister's Principal Secretary Hafiz Abdul Basit have held meetings in Gwadar to increase the pace of the implementation of the government's announcement that the town will be the provincial capital from October to March each year.

About 80 per cent construction work on a district and provincial complex and major portions of other official buildings have been completed and the government has asked contractor companies to accelerate the work. The government is also mulling over holding a session of the Balochistan Assembly in Gwadar and local officials have been asked to review arrangements in this regard.

The decision by Nawab Aslam Raisani's government to make Gwadar the winter capital has increased the importance of the coastal town.

“The move will have a deep impact on the economy and trade of the region and will also help remove the sense of deprivation among local people,” provincial minister Mir Hamal Kalamati said.