The government is making sincere efforts for coping with the challenges of extremism and shortage of electricity, said Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif while talking a delegation of ADB at Chief Minister’s Office on Thursday. Matters regarding promotion of cooperation between Punjab government and ADB in various sectors were discussed on the occasion. The ADB delegation comprised its Vice President Wencai Zhang, Country Director Werner Liepach, Deputy Country Director Nianshan Zhang, Senior Advisor Hao Zhang and Senior Programme Officer Saad Piracha.
Provincial Finance Minister Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman, Irrigation Minister Mian Yawar Zaman, Advisor Dr Ijaz Nabi, Member Provincial Assembly Dr Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, Planning and Development chairman, additional chief secretary energy, secretary energy and Lahore Development Authority director general were also present on the occasion.
Talking to the ADB delegation, the chief minister said that the aim of progress and development cannot be achieved without overcoming shortage of electricity. He said that government is giving top priority to resolve the energy problem and work is being carried out speedily on power generation projects. He said that there are vast opportunities of generation of hydel power and construction of small dams and Punjab government and ADB can further promote cooperation in this regard. He said that energy crisis has caused an immense loss to national economy and the government is focusing on rectifying this situation. He said that Punjab government is setting up a 100- megawatt power project at Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park Bahawalpur with its own resources while work is also being carried out on the projects of generation of energy from biogas and biomass. He said that Nandipur Power Project is being executed swiftly. The chief minister said that a comprehensive programme is also being implemented for the development of infrastructure and improvement of transport system. He said that metro bus project has been completed in a very short time for providing comfortable, speedy and economical transport facility to the masses. He said that about one hundred and seventy thousand persons travel by metro buses daily. He said that Punjab is a big province of Pakistan, having a population of ten crore, and the provincial government is implementing a comprehensive programme for provision of respectable job opportunities to the youth and including them in the process of national development through imparting them various skills.
