KARACHI: Coal-based power plants planned, says Arbab
KARACHI, May 21: The vast coal reserves in Sindh will be utilised to produce electricity and many such power plants will be set up over the next five years.
This was stated by Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim while presiding over a high-level meeting at the CM’s House here on Sunday.
The meeting was held to discuss the next provincial budget.
The chief minister said that the province was rich in natural sources, which would be exploited to improve the national economy. He said that coal-based power plants would help end power shortage. The royalty against the coal would help strengthen the provincial economy alleviate poverty.
He said that some European companies were setting up oil refineries near Port Qasim and Dhabeji. The investors were also keen to set up power plants at Jamshoro and Keti Bander, according to him.
Dr Arbab said that illegal encroachments within the city’s limits and along the Super Highway would be removed.
The meeting was told that 25,000 acres of government land along the highway had been retrieved from land-grabbers whereas bogus allotments of 86,000 acres of land in Thatta had been cancelled.
The chief minister stressed on improving standard of education in the province, and asked the officials concerned to conduct a survey of the small villages which were still without primary schools.
He noted that at present, the number of children not going to school was over two million. He directed the officials to take steps towards improving the condition of 41,215 government primary schools in Sindh and increase the number of middle schools.
The chief minister said that hefty fees of private schools were a permanent nuisance for parents of students. He asked education department officials to set up a joint committee of parents and academics to sort out the issue.
He said that model English-medium schools would be opened in every taluka of the province, and funds for them would be allocated in the next budget. He called for preparing a plan for the capacity-building of government schools’ teachers.
The chief minister was of the view that if EDOs Education of all 23 districts took sincere efforts, there would be no reason why education standard in Sindh did not improve. He said that by improving the standard of 45,487 government schools in the province, the future of Sindh could be turned bright.
He ordered stern action against those using unfair means in examinations, saying he wanted total elimination of the ‘copy culture’.
Dr Arbab said that laying a network of uplift projects across the province was his mission. He directed officials to earmark funds for setting up model villages for fishermen at Manchhar Lake, Keenjhar Lake and Zero Point. He said that funds should also be tagged in the coming budgets for purchasing small boats and launches for fishermen.
He announced that a bridge would be constructed over the Indus River between Thatta and Tando Mohammad Khan to provide better travel facilities to the people of these areas.
The meeting was attended by chief secretary, senior BoR member, additional chief secretary (P&D), and secretaries of irrigation, agriculture, education, mineral development, local bodies, livestock, health and other departments.—PPI
