Daily Times

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that he has the honour to be associated with the CPEC from its very beginning when it was conceived and “today with the grace of God I am a part and parcel of the process under which it is being implemented. “Its largest portfolio is energy sector which is bigger in terms of allocation of funds.”

He said this while addressing a seminar on `CPEC’ organized by The Express Group, at a local Hotel. Those who spoke on the occasion included Governor Sindh Mohammad Zubair, MNA Dr Farooq Sattar, Consul General of China Chen Shanmin, Shams Shaikh of Sindh-Engro and others.

The Chief minister said that the spade work of CPEC was done by Former President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif signed the MoU for CPEC in July 2013, just after two month of coming into power. “Therefore, we say that the wisdom of our leadership, our hard-work and our close relationship with China founded by Shaheed Bhutto and cemented by Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and Asif Zardari translated into CPEC, a mega project and a game changer in our economy and for our strength”.

Mr Murad Shah said that China looks into the future and plans accordingly. They have worked a 1000-year plan and the plan know as `one belt-one road’ and in which they have connected more than 64 countries physically, commercially, culturally and through other links. “The CPEC is not simply a road from China to Gwadar but it has a vast connectivity with other projects of One-belt-One road,” it would prove to be a game changer in true letter and spirit.

He said that South Corridor begins from Guangzhou, city in South Central China. This route connects Kashghar with Pakistan at Kunjarab. Central Cooridor starts from Shanghari and connects with Tashkant, Tehran and onwards to Bandar Imam Khomeini on the Persian Gulf. One of its branches goes towards Europe in to France. The Northern Corridor starts from Tianjin & Beijing passes through Moscow and Links it to European cities, Berlin and Rotterdam.

Talking about the benefits of CPEC, the chief minister said that China’s sea trade dependency on the narrow sea channel of the Strait of Malacca (Malaysia) would finish here as Pakistan would provide an alternative land route for Chinese trade. The travel time would reduce between China (Xinjiang province) and Middle East, through Gwadar.

Giving the break-up of the allocations for different projects of CPEC, Syed Murad Ali Shah said that energy sector-Priority (10,400) MW has an allocation of $15.506 bn, Energy-Active (6,645) MW for $18.287 billion, Roads (832 km) $5.900 bn, Rail (1,736 km) $3.690 bn, Gwadar (sea, air, land links $0.662 bn, Transportation Orange Line $1.600 bn, Cross-border Optic Fibre System $0.044bn, DTMB Pilot $0.002 bn. The total comes to $45.651 bn.

He also disclosed that nine CPEC energy projects are being installed in Sindh. They are PQA electric Company Coal-fired 1320 MW, SECM coal mine Block-II Thar Coal Filed 7.6 mtpa, SSRL Thar Coal Block-1, 6.5 mpta & CPIH 1320 MW Power Plant, Thar. The 50 MW Dawood wind farm Bambhoro, 100 MW UEP wind farm, Jhimpir, 50 MW Sunnec wind farm Jhimpir, Oracle Thar cola mine and power plant of 1320 MW.

Syed Murad Ali Shah also said that he attended the JCC meeting in December 2016 in China in which he successfully managed to include three important projects, Karachi Circular railways of $2.609 million, Keti Banadar Power Park, Transmission Line, Road, railway and Jetty for $5,000 million and Dhabeji Exclusive Economic Zone for which feasibility is underway. “These projects would change the face of Karachi but of the entire Sindh in terms of transport facilities and power generation.

The chief minister said that he was working hard to implement these projects. “Sindh has also launched its Transmission and Dispatch Company which would transmit power from Nooriabad to Karachi for K-Electric and we are going to inaugurate it shortly,” he announced.

The chief minister said that his leadership, his government and people of Sindh were giving more importance to CPEC projects.

Governor Sindh Mohmmad Zubair also spoke on the occasion. Sindh-Enegro Mining Company chief Shamsuddin Shaikh brifed the audience on CPEC Thar projects. The KCCI President addressing on the occasion said that the lands of Gwadar where nobody was ready invest at a time but after the launching of CPEC the price of its land has gone up tremendously.