TWO important meetings that the Chief Executive of the country chaired on Friday and their decisions indicate growing focus of the Government on accelerating the pace of implementation of the projects under the umbrella of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and kick-starting the mega housing projects augur well for economic growth and resolution of problems of the people. He prioritised four key areas under the CPEC for the next couple of years and ordered the groundbreaking of at least three special economic zones (SEZs) before end-June this year. The PM also directed the authorities concerned to inform the public on progress on Naya Pakistan Housing Project.
At a time when investment from other sources was negligible, the logic demands that the Government lays focus on CPEC projects especially those which have the potential to change the destiny of the country but are not moving ahead at the desired pace mainly because of lethargy and lack of interest on the part of authorities concerned. We have been hearing since long about establishment of special economic zones but practical steps are non-existent and in some cases even land has not been identified or acquired. Then availability of necessary infrastructure in these SEZs is a big question mark as without this we cannot expect entrepreneurs to launch ventures there. The Prime Minister has also shown leniency by giving six months for ground-breaking of three SEZs and his desire might remain unfulfilled even then if he did not take due interest in the intervening period. Gwadar port is also somewhat dormant due to absence of required infrastructure and its air, rail and road links with the rest of the country. Chinese have provided grants for some of the key projects for the city but here again the pace of implementation leaves much to be desired. Similarly, Naya Pakistan Housing project can help stimulate the economic activity but its launching too is taking too much time and so far even legal framework has not been completed. Though the meeting was informed that work on construction of 25,000 houses in Islamabad and Lahore would begin ‘soon’ but no details were available whether the ground work including acquisition of land has been undertaken or not for the purpose. The Prime Minister may like to hold frequent follow up meetings on CPEC and Naya Pakistan Housing Project to ensure time-bound progress.
Source: https://pakobserver.net/welcome-focus-on-cpec-and-housing/