The relevant persons told the Senate committee that the administrative affairs of the port could not be run smoothly until the directorate was made functional. They also said that the port had a lot of potential to handle transit trade and become a business hub in the region.
Further, the committee was apprised that transshipment rules for foreign destinations and custom rules for coastal trade were also being formulated.
The Senate panel was also briefed that Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) had failed to provide seamless fibre internet services in the area due to which WeBOC could not establish connectivity as internet speed was not up to the mark in the area.
On hearing this, the committee decided to take up the matter with the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, while also directing PTCL to immediately resolve the internet bandwidth and optic fibre connectivity issues.
The Senate committee constituted a sub-committee under Senator Kauda Babar to recommend solutions to the issues of internet connectivity and port rules. Other members of the committee include Maula Baksh Chandio and Sassui Palijo.
The committee also held a briefing on the shipping sector of the country where they were apprised that the private shipping sector of Pakistan had three ships at the time of independence which had gradually expanded over the years. They were further informed that the expansion had also been extended to the public sector as well.
The committee appreciated all those steps that were being taken for the development of the shipping industry and attracting foreign investors into this promising sector.