ISLAMABAD: In order to complete the Gwadar Safe City Project (GSCP) in six months, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday directed the provincial government of Balochistan to revise its PC-1 before the next Central Working Development Party (CDWP) meeting to be scheduled in September.

The minister issued these directions while chairing a steering committee meeting to review progress on the GSCP.

The meeting was attended by the additional secretary Planning Commission, secretary Ministry of Information and Technology and the inspector general of police (Islamabad).

It is noted that Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) had already signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for providing technical and operational support to the GSCP and the government of Balochistan is the sponsoring agency of the project.

During the meeting, the chief secretary Balochistan briefed the minister about the current status of the project.

The minister while reviewing the progress directed the provincial government of Balochistan to hold a meeting next week with the Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) while following their model which remained successful in Punjab.

Under the project, around 675 CCTV cameras will be installed in various parts of Gwadar to secure the area.

The minister also directed the chief secretary Balochistan to rationalise the cost of the project while recruiting a professional project director for this project.

During the meeting, the minister also inquired about the status of Quetta Safe City Project.

During the meeting, it was informed that equipment has been taken for this project and further progress was under way.

The minister directed the concerned stakeholders to integrate it with the GCSP and there should be no overlapping.

“The prime objective is to take maximum security measures for Gwadar which will be a gateway for the CPEC,” the minister remarked.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022