File photo of P.M. Shehbaz Sharif, courtesy PMLN
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday directed authorities concerned to ensure foolproof security for all workers affiliated with the Reko Diq gold and copper mining project.
In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said Sharif had chaired a meeting on the project in Lahore with a delegation from the Canadian mining company working on the project, Barrick Gold, participating via video-link. During the meeting, the prime minister directed for consultations with all stakeholders at the official level, stressing all obstacles should be removed.
Sharif stressed on planning to improve the communication infrastructure of the area, especially railway lines, to utilize the minerals of Balochistan. He also called for expediting the upgradation of roads to connect the Reko Diq project with Gwadar port, adding that if new roads were under construction, the pace of their work should be increased.
The prime minister, per the statement, sought a strategy to determine the feasibility of a rail and road network from Reko Diq to Gwadar port. He said a railway connection between Reko Diq and Gwadar would improve access to the port, and prove closer than the Bin Qasim port. The new railway line, he said, would also benefit the mineral-rich district of Chagai, facilitating the expansion of the mining industry. In this regard, he sought a detailed briefing next week on the Reko Diq road and rail connectivity project.
Sharif also instructed for the removal of all hurdles hampering the early completion of the environment and social impact assessment regarding the Reko Diq project. According to the officials concerned, the feasibility of the Reko Diq project would be completed by December.
During the meeting, the participants were informed 6,000 containers would be transported monthly from the Reko Diq project to the port. The concentrate pipeline of the project would be the second-longest slurry pipeline in the world, while the mining company would build the link road from Reko Diq to the N-40 National Highway.
The meeting was also told that 103km Nokandi to Mashkhel road, connecting Reko Diq to Gwadar port, was 58 percent complete.
Apart from the prime minister and the mining company’s delegation, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Muhammad Jehanzeb and several senior officials attended the meeting.