AAMIR SAEED

ISLAMABAD: Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) has completed 33 of 38 projects with a total cost of over Rs8.64 billion under the Gwadar Master Plan. The total area under the authority is 29,910 acres.

According to official documents available with Business Recorder, the authority has divided its total area into four different zones including residential on 19,500 acres, commercial on 200 acres, recreational on 210 acres and industrial plus ware-housing on 10,000 acres. All these four zones are extendable if need arises.

The GDA has so far worked on five different sectors including construction of roads, buildings, fisherman town, fish landing jetties and environment.

The five projects the work on which is still underway include: construction/black topping (airport road, 11km) is 70 percent completed with a total cost of Rs619.769 million, fish landing jetty Pishukan is 49 percent completed with a total cost of Rs1618.715 million, fish landing jetty Surbandar is 78 percent completed with a total cost of Rs1684.451 million, coconut plantation in master plan sites of the authority stands 85 percent completed with a total cost of Rs1.869 million and sand dune stabilization in master plan area sites of GDA stands 20 percent completed with a cost of Rs9.365 million.

A total of 21 out of 22 roads have been constructed so far with a total cost of Rs3.264 billion and they include construction/black topping (Jinnah Avenue) (black topping 13.625km completed) with a total cost of Rs392.847 million, Padizir Blvd (black topping 17.5km completed) with a cost of Rs315.574 million, Marine Drive (black topping 34km completed) with a cost of Rs589.266 million, Balochistan Broadway (black topping 34km completed) with a cost of Rs348.603 million, Pasni Avenue (5km completed) with a cost of Rs79.098 million, Jiwani Avenue (12km completed) with a cost of Rs156.572million, Pishukan Avenue (5km completed) with a cost of Rs46.456 million, Rakhshan Avenue (7.75km completed) with a cost of Rs160.916 million, Awaran Avenue (9km completed) with a cost of Rs108.429 million, Kalmat Avenue (7km completed) with a cost of Rs67.352 million, Monument Circle (1.2km completed) with a cost of Rs93.534million.

They also include Bela Avenue (3.5km completed) with a cost of Rs39.988 million, Mand Avenue (6.5km completed) with a total cost of Rs96.012 million, Commercial East (black topping 1.3km completed) with a cost of Rs35.243 million, Kahan Avenue (5.275km completed) with a cost of Rs146.903 million, Kulanch Avenue (5km compelted) with a cost of Rs24.502 million, construction/black topping of Model Circle with a cost of Rs101.204 million, Chagai Avenue (6.2km) with a cost of Rs123.508 million, Kharan Avenue (1km completed) with a cost of Rs13.888 million, Kharan Avenue (1km completed out of total of 6km) with a cost of Rs148.162 million and construction of bridge on Marine Drive at Ankara Creek with a cost of Rs176.441 million.

According to the documents, the GDA has so far built 8 different buildings with a total cost of Rs1.248 billion and they include: construction of sports complex with a cost of Rs253.421 million, construction of 50-bed ward with doctors residency, admin block and OPD block Phase-I with a total cost of Rs173.351 million, construction of boundary wall for central park with a cost of Rs14.909 million, construction of GDA office Block-I and II with a cost of Rs77.106 million, construction of central park with a cost of Rs52.159 million, construction of beach wall in front of governor house with a cost of Rs4.2 million, construction of GDA model school with teachers residency at a cost of Rs248.021 million and construction of district and provincial office complex Gwadar with a cost of Rs425.725 million.

Four other projects of Fisherman Town have also been completed with a total cost of Rs192.605 million and they include: construction of internal roads (total 13km) with a cost of Rs166.149 million, construction of sewerage system with a cost of Rs7.196 million, water supply system with a cost of Rs6.340 million and construction of 100 boundary walls with a cost of Rs12.920 million.

Two fish landing jetties with an accumulative estimated cost of Rs3303.166 million are still under construction while the work on two environmental projects including coconut plantation and sand dune stabilization with an accumulative estimated cost of Rs11.234 is also underway.

The Gwadar Development Authority was established in October 2003 to improve and implement the Gwadar Master Plan, which initially suggested only the land use, but after the establishment of the authority, internal road network, land zoning and vision for future Gwadar was also developed and finalized.