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WB workshop concludes Rs 5,700bn needed to build, maintain transport system

SHAHID IQBAL

KARACHI: Experts at the World Bank Workshop on Transportation here observed on Tuesday that the sector has an investment opportunity of about Rs.5,700 billion to build and maintain all kinds of transportation in Pakistan.

The two-day workshop on "The prospective of civil society in the transport sector development initiative in Pakistan", ended on Tuesday with a number of recommendations presented by the experts to build the transport sector of the country.

The workshop covered three main sectors of transportationÊÑ shipping and ports, roads and railways and aviation.

The experts said that over 56,000 km roads are unused as these roads are only used for the inspection of the irrigation system and not allowed for the public purposes.

The experts asked the government to establish a Ministry for the transport sector which has tremendous potential to grow.

They also demanded of the government to declare the Transport sector as an industry so that loans could be provided.

The whole-day workshop identified a number of faults in the Transport Policy and barriers in the way of implementing the policy.

It observed that there is need to constitute "National Policy Transport Board" by including experts from all sectors.

The experts proved with data that there was great potential for the improvement in Railway which will reduce the loads from the roads.

The experts on roads proposed that the sector should be declared industry "which may accelerate road construction."

They viewed that the public-private sector joint venture will develop the sector as per requirement of the country.

They observed that the foreign investment has great attraction in the sector but the government should publish a clear foreign exchange manual. The State Bank should liberalize the foreign exchange policy that will open the foreign investment.

The experts demanded that the aviation should be taken from the Ministry of Defense and assign it to other sectors.

It was observed that the Shipping was grossly neglected by the government which widely reduced its role in the national economy.

They demanded of the government to announce implementation of shipping Policy as submitted in May 1999.

Re-orientation of shipping to international operations rather than confining it to the local trade, was also demanded.

The World Bank will hold more workshop to evolve strategy for the development of the transport sector.