- Punjab CM says PML-N govt is making all-out efforts to curb energy problem
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that coping with energy crisis is essential for accelerating trade and industrial activities.
He said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government is working round the clock to overcome shortage of electricity. He said that bringing and end to load shedding was the mission of the government.
He said that agreements signed with local and foreign power companies were being implemented speedily. He said that every moment of the nation was precious and no delay would be tolerated in the execution of energy projects.
He was presiding over a meeting to review progress on energy projects. Water and Power Minister Khawaja Asif also attended the meeting.
The CM said that energy crisis had badly affected education, industry, agriculture, health and other sectors. However, he said, the PML-N government, immediately after coming into power, started taking effective measures for resolving this issue as it was essential for national development.
He said that the PML-N government, headed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was making all-out efforts for coping with energy problem. Shahbaz said that a number of power projects have been started in the country and collective efforts were needed to overcome the problem.
He said that power projects of 1000 megawatts would be set up at Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park Bahawalpur while a solar project of 100 megawatts would be completed by December. He said that the Punjab government has taken a lead by laying foundation stone of the first solar project in the country while work was also being carried out on a number of coal-based power generation projects with the Chinese cooperation.
The CM said that foundation stone of two 660MW coal power plants would be laid in Sahiwal during the current month while work was in progress on Nandipur Power Project and would be inaugurated in June.
The CM directed departments concerned to complete the process of upgrading of grid and transmission lines side by side with the execution of power projects so that there should not be any hurdle in the supply of electricity to the national grid.
He said that work should be undertaken under a comprehensive mechanism for the timely completion of power projects and federal and provincial departments should work in a coordinated manner for the expeditious completion of energy projects.