Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said that a lot of work had been done under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to cope with the ongoing energy crisis.
Addressing a high-level meeting through video link here, the chief minister said that power projects were delayed due to sit-ins staged by those against development of the country and prosperity of the masses.
He said that energy projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) were being speedily implemented and 1,320 megawatts Sahiwal Coal Power Plant would be completed much before its stipulated timeframe. He said that power production from this project would start from the beginning of the next year, adding that a coal power plant of 1320 megawatts was usually completed in four to five years.
Sharif said the federal and Punjab governments and institutions concerned were working round the clock for early completion of energy projects.
The CM said that former rulers paid no attention to solution of people’s problems and misappropriated national resources in the name of development projects. He said that had the former rulers paid attention to resolving energy crisis, the country would not have plunged into darkness.
Sharif said that work was continuing expeditiously on 3600 megawatts gas-based power projects in Punjab and these projects had been obtained at the lowest rate in the contemporary history. He said that a sum of Rs 112 billion had been saved on these projects while funds of billions of rupees had been saved in development projects through transparency.
The CM further said that gas-based energy projects would result in availability of low cost electricity to the masses, adding that work on solar projects was also in progress.
Sharif said that thousands of megawatts of electricity would be generated with the completion of several energy projects till 2018 which would fulfill electricity requirements, while industrial and agriculture sectors would also progress. He said the sincere efforts of the government would prove fruitful and darkness would soon be removed from the country.
The chief minister said that the journey of progress and development started under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was continuing and the problems being faced by the nation would be resolved.
The meeting was attended by the chairman planning & development, secretary industries, chairman investment board and officials concerned.