Country Starts Reaping Benefits Of CPEC Projects: Asim Bajwa

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th May, 2021 ) :CPEC Authority Chairman Lt General (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa Tuesday said that with the start of second phase of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), its benefits had started pouring in with jobs creation for the locals.

A number of infrastructure projects had already been completed while two important projects on the Western alignment of CPEC-Hakla (Islamabad)-Dera Ismail Khan and Basima-Khuzdar roads would be completed in the current year, he said while talking to a news channel.

Asim Bajwa said on the Eastern alignment, only one section Sukkur-Hyderabad was left and that had also been launched by Prime Minister Imran Khan recently. The project would be built under Public Private Partnership mode and its Request for Proposals (RFP) would be floated within a month, and after that its ground work would be started.

He said the work on all other sections of the Western Route such as D I Khan to Zhob, Zhob to Quetta, Quetta to Khuzdar, Khuzdar to Awaran and Hoshab had already been started, which would be completed soon.

With respect to the Special Economic Zones under CPEC, Asim Bajwa said in Rashakai SEZ, 1,000 acres of land had been allocated, but some 2,000 applications were received for which around 3,600 acres land was required.

"So keeping in view the rising interest of foreign and as well as local investors in the SEZ, we have talked to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to acquire more land to fulfill the demand," he added.

Likewise, he said, a lot of investors were interested in the Dhabeji SZE (Sindh) as it was more suitable for them because of easy approach to the Karachi Port. Some 70 percent work of gas supply had been completed for the zone, he added.

He said in Rashakai and Faisalabad, the work was in full swing and a number of industries were being installed.

Asim Bajwa said Canadian, German, and British joint ventures had applied for the Allama Iqbal SEZ of Faisalabad. A a group of Pakistani American doctors had also shown its interest in electro-medical equipment manufacturing.

In the agriculture sector, he said, "We are moving towards corporate farming and community farming for which we are working with the provinces."He said the Chinese agriculture experts were interested to grow cotton and other crops in the deserted areas in Sindh by using the state of the art technology.