Private consultancy firms express serious concerns over design map of Gorakh Hills Project

By: Yasir Babbar

KARACHI, Oct 21 (PPI): A few private consultancy firms including Ernest and Young and others have expressed serious concerns over the design map of the Gorakh Hills Development project and demanded major changes, it is learnt to PPI here on Thursday.

Gorakh Hills Project is located in Dadu District of Sindh, which lies at the altitude of 5688 feet above the sea level and has temperature in between 15 to 16 degree centigrade even in summer season.

Ernest and Young a private consultancy firm, which is working for creating attraction and opportunities for Local and International Private investors in order to investment in the Gorakh Hills Development Project since last few months.

After the passing of Public-Private Partnership Bill from Sindh Assembly, The Provincial Tourism Ministry had made agreements with some private consultancy firms for different purposes in order to create investment opportunities for Gorakh Hills Project.

The experts of different firms have told the authorities of Gorakh Hills Development Authority (GHDA) in Black & White that they are not satisfied with the current design of the Project which would definitely discourage the Local and International investors.

After a few routine meetings, authorities of GHDA are now ready to follow the changes proposed by the Firm.

All firms are working on the changes of the design and the proposals are likely to be submitted soon to the authorities of GHDA, which would be forwarded to the Chief Minster Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah who is also the Chairman of GHDA for the final approval.

When contacted, Director General Gorakh Hills Development Authority (GHDA) AbdulQadir Mangi has confirmed this and said that we are also reviewing the design map of the project and stopped the development work at the site.

He added that it’s up to us whether we are accepting the proposals of private firms regarding the changes in design of Gorakh project or not.

In a question he said that recent heavy floods have also affected the development work at the Gorakh, we are trying to restart this soon.

He told that some experts of private firms have started their work at the Gorakh Hills, Topographic and Geo-technical surveys are also under way, he added.

He expressed satisfaction over the performance of GHDA regarding the development of Gorakh Hills and claimed that Provincial Government is taking keen interest in the completion of project as soon as possible.

It is pertinent to mention here that the first development work was initiated on the Gorakh Hills Project in 1989. About 21 years passed away but the project is still under construction.


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