RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Communications Thursday expressed dissatisfaction with progress made so far on western route of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and decided to review the Built-Operate-Transfer (BOT) projects.

A meeting of the committee was held here in the Parliament House in the chair of Senator Hidayat Ullah.

The National Highway Authority (NHA) officials briefed the committee members about the CPEC’s western route, and the progress and challenge to complete it within the timeframe.

The committee members were informed that the western route is made up of two parts – Islamabad to Dera Ismail Khan and Dera Ismail Khan to Zhob in Balochistan province.

The NHA officials said that Pakistan government is responsible to fund the project from Islamabad to Dera Ismail Khan and the required land for it has been acquired. The project’s worth is Rs110 billion and it consists of five different packages.

The officials informed the committee members that the work on Islamabad to Dera Ismail Khan project is underway and if the funds are released in time, it will be completed by June 2019.

The committee was, however, informed that the NHA is facing Rs25 billion losses to complete the project.

About Dera Ismail Khan to Zhob, the committee was informed that Chinese government committed funding for the project in December 2016, but the funds are yet to be released.

The committee was informed that the China has also not provided list of the Chinese contractors for the project.

Senator Ahmad Khan, member of the committee, said that Chinese government gives names of three companies for the projects and they then give rates of their own choice, while all Pakistani companies have to compete with them.

He urged the committee to review the contracts with China, especially the projects designed on Built-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis. The committee agreed to the proposal and decided to review the contracts.