Govt to set up CPEC Authority to speed up work on projects.

ISLAMABAD: Reiterating government's resolve of not compromising on development of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiyar said the government will soon establish CPEC Authority to speed up work on projects under it.

The authority will help strengthen country's endeavors to achieve economic targets and enhance regional connectivity, Khusro said while addressing a press conference along with Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information Firdous Asiq Awan. He said the required legal framework will be prepared for the purpose as soon as possible. "We will soon come up with a bill so that the CPEC Authority is established as soon as possible," he added.

The minister said the authority will be established after upgrading the existing CPEC infrastructure in the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform, adding that skillful human resource will be hired for the purpose to run it on modern lines and strengthen the capabilities to achieve the set targets.

He said one of the purposes of establishing the authority is to speed up work on different projects under the long-term CPEC Plan 2030. He said the $230 million Gwadar Airport has already been inaugurated, while the work on water plant, Gwadar Vocational Training Institute and hospital is underway.

The minister said the CPEC is the manifestation of long-term relations between China and Pakistan. He said by the end of October this year, his Chinese counterpart along with a delegation will visit Islamabad to attend the ninth annual Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) on CPEC.

Khusro Bakhtyar said the government, this...