Economic Infrastructure and Communications Barkhan

 

Introduction

Barkhan district is linked by road with Punjab province and with the provincial capital Quetta. There is no airway or railway in the district. Buses, coaches, wagons, trucks and other vehicles come to the district from Quetta, Loralai, Dera Ghazi Khan and other parts of the province. The absence of farm to market roads is an obstacle for agriculture and livestock development. Other sectors also suffer from this lack of infrastructure.

Roads

 There is 111 km of metalled road and 348 km of shingle road in the district. Out of the metalled roads 36 km is national highway, the rest is provincial road. The national highway is maintained by by federal government. The maintenance of shingle roads is the responsibility of provincial government. Except for the national highway, roads are not properly maintained, due to lack of funds.

 

Type of road

National Highway

Provincial Roads

Other Agencies

Total

Metalled

36

75

 

111

Shingle

 

348

 

348

Total

36

423

 

459

Source: Bureau of Statistics, 1995.

 

Transport

 Most of the vehicles in the district are registered. The Department of Excise and Taxation is responsible for the collection of revenue through registration of vehicles.

 

Type of vehicle

Registered in district

1990

1995

2000

Trucks

20

30

50

Buses

-

-

-

Mini Buses

3

8

26

Cars, Jeeps, Taxis.

5

10

22

Motor cycle.

80

200

300

Camel/horses/donkey cart.

2

1

-

Tractor.

50

72

100

Source: Development Statistics, GoB, Quettta

 

Rail- and Airways

 

In district Barkhan there is no railway or airport.

 

Radio and Television

There is no radio and television station in the district. In some parts of Barkhan town Ptv transmission can be watched, but not very clear. Because of the absence of tv transmission, the use of satellite dishes is increasing, especially in towns. Radio transmissions from Quetta, Karachi, Lahore and the BBC can be received throughout the district.

 

Telecommunications

In Barkhan district, Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation (PTC) has established one auto exchange of 400 lines, out of which only 157 connections have been given yet. Another 50 lines at Rakhni and 30 lines at Rarkan have been established, but the total working connections in Rakhni and Rarkan are 47 and 13 respectively.56 There is only one public call office which is privately owned. One fax service is provided at the Deputy Commissioner Office Barkhan.

 

Post Offices / Courier Services

There are 3 post offices in the district, in Barkhan, Rakhni and Rarkan respectively. The number of letter boxes in the district are only 3.57 There is no urgent mail service available in the post offices, nor are there any courier services available in the district.

 

Banking/Financial Institutions

 In Barkhan district, the National Bank of Pakistan has two branches, in Barkhan and Rakhni. The Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan (ADBP) has one branch at Barkhan. In 1991-91, ADPB gave out loans with a total value of Rs. 10,161,000. In the same period, recovery of loans was Rs. 4,136,000. The total value of loans provided by ADBP increased to Rs. 22,746,000 in 1995-96. the recovery of loans in the same period was Rs. 4,359,000.58 Over the period 1991-92 to 1995-96 the total value of loans given out by ADBP grew by 240%. The provision of loans could be attributed to the growth of the agricultural sector in the district in that period.

 

Electricity and Gas

 In Barkhan district grid electricity is available. A transmission line of 132 KVA supplies electricity via Dera Ghazi Khan. There are grid stations in Barkhan and Rakhni. Both towns have a city feeder. In 1992-93, the total number of consumers was 1,180, out of which there were 995 domestic, 175 commercial, 7 agricultural and 3 industrial connections. In 1995-96, the total number of connections was 1,235, comprising 1,040 domestic, 185 commercial, 7 agricultural and 3 industrial connections. In 1993-94, 29 villages were electrified.59

There is no natural gas pipe-line in the district. The cost of extending the pipe-line up to Barkhan will be exorbitant high. Instead of natural gas, many people use liquid petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders.

 

Rest Houses

 The Irrigation Department has two rest houses, one in Barkhan and the other in Rakhni. There is one rest house each of the C&W Department and the Livestock Department at Rakhni.60 All these rest houses are constructed by the government. There are no private rest houses in the district, nor are there any hotels.

 

GO/NGO/Private Enterprise, etc. involvement in Energy, Transport and Communications Development

Coverage Economic Infrastructure Services

Local Govt.

Prov. Govt.

Fed. Govt.

NGO

Internat. Donor

Private Entr.

Road works

x

xx

xxx

-

-

-

Transport (buses)

-

-

-

-

-

xxx

Railway

-

-

-

-

-

-

Airway

-

-

-

-

-

-

Radio & Television

-

-

Xxx

-

-

-

Banking/Financial Institutions

-

-

Xxx

-

-

xx

Electricity

-

-

Xxx

-

-

-

Gas

-

-

-

-

-

xxx

Rest houses

-

xxx

x

-

-

-

Legend: - no involvement

x minor involvement

xx substantial involvement

xxx major involvement

 

NGOs and international donor organisations are not involved in the provision of economic infrastructure services. Most services are provided for by federal government.

 

Conclusion and major Development Issues

 

 In Barkhan district the condition of economic infrastructure services is not satisfactory. The maintenance of roads is poor. Natural gas is not available. The district has no railways and airways. All together this makes chances of industrialisation very small. 

The development of infrastructure is hindered by a lack of resources. There is demand for gas, but as the district is located far away from the main gas pip- line, it is too costly to supply gas.

Means of communication are not spread to the interior of the district. Ptv transmission is not available at all. Telephone facilities should be extend. Fax, courier and telegraph facilities are not available to the people.

Agricultural loans are provided to the farmers, but farmers still need more loans for the development of the agricultural sector. In order to raise the standard of living of the people a lot of development work is needed in the district.

 

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