KARACHI, July 20: Sindh Chief Minister Sardar Ali Mohammed Mehar has said that at an important meeting in Lahore, next week, he, along with Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad, will discuss the construction of Thal canal and Kalabagh dam.

Speaking at the annual meeting of the Sindh Graduates Association (SGA), on Saturday night, he said, at the forthcoming meeting he would voice the concern of people of Sindh over the controversial projects.

He said it was in the larger interest of the country that the representatives of all the provinces discussed and evolved consensus on all such issue which, directly or indirectly, affected the people of their respective provinces.

Mr Mehar said that the government would soon provide 25,000 jobs to the unemployed in the police, health and education departments.

Ruling out any pressure from the World Bank, he said all the development projects in the province were being fully backed by the bank.

He said under the government’s economic policies, the districts had been provided development funds of Rs20 million each. In addition to that, he said, an equal amount had been granted to the districts by the provincial government.

Referring to the construction of Lyari Expressway and Northern Bypass, he said, the projects would open new vistas of development for the city.

Vowing no cut in development expenditures of the province, the CM said that the federal finance minister had also agreed in principle to open branches of the Khushal Bank in all Sindh districts, to facilitate the people in obtaining loans.

He said the demands made by the Liaquat University of Health and Medical Sciences would be fulfilled. Similarly, he said, a grant of Rs5 million had been given to the Sindhi Language Authority for promotion of the language. — APP