|
| January 16, 2008 | Wednesday | Muharram 06, 1429 |
Why not coal?
Easing Lahore’s traffic jam
OTHER VOICES - European Press
EVEN though his tenure as Balochistan’s chief executive is already half over, Sardar Saleh Bhootani’s decision to hold talks with all tribal and political leaders in the province deserves to be welcomed. The caretaker chief minister told the Press Club’s ‘meet the press’ programme that among those he intended to meet were Balochistan’s nationalist leaders, including the ailing Khair Bakhsh Marri, the aim behind the meetings being to improve the law and order situation. As caretaker chief minister, Mr Bhootani’s first duty is to ensure a credible election, for which peace is a primary condition. In this respect, Balochistan’s own position is a little peculiar. In the wake of the crackdown on the Lal Masjid rebels in July, the incidence of suicide bombings, mostly in the north, has increased. But in Balochistan, the problem has been of a different kind. The province has been in the grip of an insurgency for several years. At one time pitched battles between the Bugti militia and security forces destroyed peace in the region. However, since the death of Akbar Bugti in August 2006 the level of insurgency has declined, though attacks on gas, power and railway installations have continued. It is this aspect of the Balochistan situation that also needs Mr Bhootani’s attention
Even though it is the biggest province territorially, Balochistan has not received the treatment it deserves. It has vast mineral resources, including gas, copper and gold, but the commercial exploitation of these resources has not benefited the people. The Baloch also fear that the ‘mega’ projects now underway, including the fast-expanding Gwadar port, could add to social pressures and upset the province’s ethnic character. Besides, many Baloch leaders want not only a revision of the quantum of provincial autonomy; they complain that the autonomy as enshrined in the Constitution has been denied to them. The chief minister must, of course, be aware of the reports prepared by two parliamentary committees a couple of years ago. They made some valuable suggestions, including the need to safeguard the rights of the Baloch people in federal and provincial jobs. However, nothing has been heard about the reports for quite some time, and the recommendations seem to have been put into cold storage.
While these long-term efforts to satisfy Baloch grievances must continue, Mr Bhootani should make the nationalist leaders, especially the younger lot, realise that senseless acts of terrorism are no solution to Balochistan’s problems, and such criminal acts only deprive them of the sympathy of those sections of the people in the other provinces who are on the side of the Baloch people in their struggle to achieve their just rights in a peaceful manner.
A 1000MW coal-based private power project is being delayed inordinately because the concerned government agencies can not agree on the tariff to be paid to the producer. What is more frustrating is that this is happening at a time when the country is in the grip of massive power shortages. The picture of the looming economic disaster is too palpable for these agencies to have missed. And by now they should have also realised that no matter how expensive, the power generated by domestic coal fired plants would still be less of a burden in terms of foreign exchange than the electricity produced by plants run on imported furnace oil. Even at $60 a barrel our oil import bill had become too debilitating a burden. Now with the price hovering around $00, even the rich countries are looking for domestic alternatives like solar energy, windmills and biogas. So, why are we dragging our feet so nonchalantly?
Pakistan has an abundance of coal, a basic ingredient of energy production. There is no dearth of either investors or of appropriate technologies for putting up environmental friendly coal-fired power plants. But everything has been held up because of disagreements on the tariff to be paid. The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) is said to have offered a 30-year indicative tariff of 7.8 cents per unit for the Thar project. The representatives of the Sindh government on the other hand have counter proposed an upfront tariff of 11 cents. Both these proposed tariffs compare well with 14 cents being currently offered to new furnace oil fired power projects. We are sure both the Nepra and the Sindh government have based their proposals on their respective economic logic. We also do not deny their right to have a decisive say in the matter.
But what is not understandable is why a feasibility study has not been undertaken so far to determine a realistic price for the electricity produced by coal-fired power plants. This is a basic first step especially in view of the inadequate infrastructure — water supply, sanitation and power supply — the cost of which will have to be calculated in the production costs. The failure of the authorities to expedite the launching of coal based projects is most disturbing. Given the energy crisis the country faces and the enormous coal reserves the country possesses — estimated to be 200 billion tonnes — it is difficult to explain why coal is not being used for electricity generation. Worldwide, coal provides for 25 per cent of basic energy needs of people. In Pakistan this is only two per cent, notwithstanding the abundant reserves of the black gold in the country. There is something drastically wrong with our energy policy.
TRAVEL on Lahore’s main roads is increasingly turning into a nightmare many would rather avoid. There are not just more vehicles on the city’s roads than can be managed well; there is also an utter absence of traffic sense among most of the road-users — drivers of all kinds of vehicles as well as pedestrians. Their lack of knowledge of road rules makes matters worse and is a big factor in the high incidence of accidents. What is worse, there is no information about the traffic-load on a given road at a specific time. If the authorities are to be believed, this may change in the coming days. In a meeting recently, the traffic authorities in Lahore have decided to put up eight digital display boards at the busiest crossings in the city to inform the commuters, drivers and others about traffic conditions on various main roads. The traffic police will also use FM radio stations to provide information about the volume of traffic on various roads at a particular hour. This will be backed up by a 24-hour free telephone help-line for people wishing to be informed about the traffic situation before they hit the road or during their commute if they need to change their route. People will also be able to obtain this information from a website being specially set up for the purpose.
Along with a raft of other measures like a better monitoring and supervision mechanism for traffic wardens and providing drivers and commuters with training on better traffic sense, these measures should improve the flow of traffic on Lahore’s congested arteries. People will certainly be relieved of a lot of agony if they could use their knowledge of traffic conditions to plan their routes. But this can only happen if a concerted campaign is launched to inform them about all the facilities available and how they can be accessed. Without such a campaign, the benefits of all these measures are not likely to materialise.
Let’s move on
THESE last few days… will have been terribly difficult for anyone close to the tragedy surrounding the death of schoolboy Robert Holohan. The tragedy has been revisited as a precursor to tomorrow’s scheduled release of Wayne O’Donoghue, the person responsible for Robert Holohan’s death….
It has been suggested that he might find it impossible to live in this country; that he might never escape the great tragedy that defines his past and will probably define his future….
Robert Holohan’s family, especially his parents so grievously and deeply hurt, will find it extremely difficult to reconcile their great loss — the great emptiness in their family — to the recovered freedom of the person responsible for the death of their son. This event, and the potential it affords for intrusion of the most aggressive kind, represents an early and rigorous test for the principles safeguarding privacy enshrined in the code of practice agreed at the establishment of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman just last week.
That liberty cannot be constrained or qualified in any way; he has done his time and is…entitled to recover his life….
It might be just too early to expect complete forgiveness but at least we can afford Mr O’Donoghue an opportunity at redemption of sorts… — (Jan 15)
Rights not charity
Words witness what’s encapsulated in one’s thoughts and emotions. They reveal one’s world view and value systems. That’s why the National Commission For Persons With Disability, in their recent document Rights Not Charity, targeted words and their use, especially that made by the media. They want the media — and each one of us, for that matter — to stop using words that patronise persons with disability and instead speak in a manner that can help in their process of empowerment.
The National Commission Persons With Disability … points to the continuous use that those presenting on or writing for the media … make of patronising and negative language …. Some examples follow: Angels, victims, less fortunate, invalids, people with special needs. Such terminology shows that most people still subscribe … to what’s known as the medical model of disability….The solution lies in disabled people changing themselves. Charity is the operative word in this model.
The national commission has consequently taken it upon itself to show how language can be used so that society is able to move from the medical to the social model of disability….
…. All journalists and columnists now ought to commit themselves to move from words of support to actions of support. — (Jan 15)