Government has allocated Rs 828.81 million for the Ports and Shipping Ministry in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) in the upcoming budget 2009-10. This incorporates an increase of Rs 456.68 million against Rs 372.13 million allocated for the current financial year 2008-09.
Sources revealed that government has allocated Rs 628.10 million for new schemes against Rs 33.4 million allocated for the corresponding period last year showing an increase of Rs 594.7 million. Similarly government has allocated Rs 200 million for on-going schemes of the Ports and Shipping Ministry, witnessing a decrease of Rs 118.73 million allocated for the same period of the fiscal year 2008-09.
Sources further revealed that new schemes allocation would be as follows: Rs 550 million for maintenance and dredging of Gwadar Port and Rs 78.81 million to repair navigational aids of Gwadar Port. It was revealed that on-going schemes would include: Rs 81 million for the Gwadar Deep Sea Water Port (Phase-1) including deepening of channel for which Rs 200 million was allocated in the last PSDP of the budget for 2008-09.
Estimated cost of the project is Rs 16380 million out of which Rs 11880 million will be arranged with a foreign loan, while its expenditure is estimated to be Rs 17186.7 million by June 2009.
In the PSDP of upcoming budget 2009-10, Rs 89 million has been allocated for the Gwadar Port Civic Center, while its estimated cost is Rs 199.73 million with an expenditure of Rs 106 million by June 2009. Similarly Rs 30 million has been allocated for the construction of Eastbay Expressway to link Gwadar Port with National Road Network, while its estimated cost is Rs 3773.6 million with an expenditure of Rs 10 million by June 2009.