The federal cabinet’s Economic Coordination Committee has approved a Rs194 million technical supplementary grant for a survey of Pakistan’s coastal areas.
The funds were approved during a meeting on Wednesday.
The development of Pakistan’s coastal areas has recently become a hot topic as the government set up the controversial Pakistan Islands Development Authority. The authority was created through a September 2, 2020 ordinance, without the approval of the Senate or National Assembly as they were not in session as “the president of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is satisfied that circumstance exist which render it necessary to take immediate action.”
The authority has been tasked with surveying Pakistan’s islands for the purpose of development. However, the authority is a federal body and some islands belong to the province of Sindh. The matter has also been taken to court by several people, who argue that the development is illegal and will affect the mangroves.
During the last Sindh High Court hearing, the federal government vowed that it would not begin development without taking the Sindh government on board. The provincial government and PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari have said they will oppose any federal government attempts to take over Sindh’s islands.
In other developments, the ECC also approved a one-year extension in the purchase of 104 megawatts of electricity from Iran and passed the issue of a waiver of Rs12 billion in late charges for Afghan cargo containers stuck at Karachi’s ports over to a committee.
from SAMAA https://ift.tt/2HCA0L8
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