QUETTA, Jan 25: The Gwadar Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called upon the government and the commercial banks to soften the loaning policy so that the local people should seek loan for investment in future port city of Gwadar.

Addressing a news conference at the local Press Club here on Saturday, Asghar Aziz Sanjrani, the Chamber President, said that the land and other properties be accepted as security against bank loans.

Without getting substantial and commercial loan, the local businessmen and traders could not participate in the development of Gwadar Industrial and Free Trade Zone, Mr. Sanjrani told newsmen.

He demanded GCCI representation in Gwadar Port Authority seeking end to the role of Quetta-based Balochistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Chamber chief said that the GCCI be associated with the Master Plan for future port city of Gwadar. Planning should be undertaken in a manner that it benefit the local people only, he said. The GCCI chief demanded complete ban on allotment of land to outsiders in whole of Gwadar District and asked the government to cancel the recent sale and purchase of land.

Compensation to the people of Gwadar should be conceded while relocating the whole settlements and shifting the population from their existing places to remote areas.

The people should be given all the services and facilities prior to shifting to the new place when relocation plan is implemented, the Chamber chief said.

Asghar Sanjrani demanded proper training of local people so that they should run the future port. For this, he suggested on-job training programme for youth at Karachi Port, Port Qasim. Most of the youth be given training in different trades and skills at the government expense, he said.

The GCCI chief said both the federal and provincial governments should help the Chamber in institutionalizing its working, establishing offices at the fisheries rest house till such time the Chamber build its own complex. He demanded a piece of land and also financial assistance to build the complex.

Asghar Sanjrani said that the Iranian Consul General in Quetta had agreed to open visa facilities, entry and exist immigration points at Gwadar, Mand and Panjgur facilitating the local people to travel to Iran from the Mekran border.

At present, they have to travel to more than 1000 miles away to Taftan to enter Iran on visa.

The Iranian diplomat demanded proper security arrangements for the Iranian immigration officials for three entry points as legal immigration posts.

He demanded that the Chinese officials be directed to buy cement and other construction material from the members of the GCCI in order to promote and develop the local economy at the construction stage.