Japan has extended a grant of 422 million yen to Pakistan for the third phase of the Construction Machinery Training Institute, Islamabad. Communication Secretary Tariq Mahmood, who signed an agreement to this effect with his Japanese counterpart in Tokyo this week, told Business Recorder .
He said, that this grant would be used for building new blocks of the Institute and procurement of machinery for training purposes. He said the communication ministry has set up this Institute to provide vocational training and upgrade skills of crane mechanics, heavy construction machinery operators, welders, civil engineers, fitters, machine operators, etc as they are needed in thousands for the local construction and building industry.
Tariq said the Central Development Working Party in its recent meeting highly appreciated utility of such vocational training institutes and recommended establishment of its prototypes in Punjab, Sindh, NWFP, Balochistan, and AJK.
He said the four provinces and AJK have allocated land to set up these Institutes for meeting requirements of trained and skilled manpower and curb unemployment and poverty in the country.
He said that five such Institutes would be established at Kutchlaak near Quetta, Hyderabad, Lahore-Islamabad Motorway near Lahore, Pubbi near Peshawar, and Garhi new Muzaffarabad. The Japan International Co-operation Agency (Jica) and Pakistan signed another agreement here on Saturday for establishing first Highway Research and Training Centre (HR&TC).
The agreement was signed by National Highway Authority (NHA) Chairman Major General Farrukh Javed, Commerce Joint Secretary Firdaus Alam and Jica's Resident Director Ketao Kaibara. Under this technical co-operation programme, a team of Japanese experts will arrive in Pakistan in February next year to assist Pakistan in developing safe, durable, economical and environmental-friendly network of roads.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the NHA chief said Japan was already providing valuable technical and financial assistance in the field of road construction and famous 'Friendship Tunnel' (Kohat) was a great manifestation of friendship and co-operation between Pakistan and Japan.
He said that Jica's technical co-operation programme, spread over five years, would establish institutional framework and develop system of research and training for highway pavements, safety, environment, construction, maintenance, and operation.
He hoped that HR&TC would act as a base for engineers to refine their knowledge in planning, design, execution, monitoring, operation, and maintenance of highways in Pakistan.