THATTA, Feb 4: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah said on Wednesday that the government had initiated measures for revival of Thatta Sugar Mills.

Addressing a public gathering in Gharo, he said that Sindh had suffered more and was deprived of legitimate rights during the dictatorial rule.

He said that the Pakistan People’s Party was aware of the problems of Sindh and striving hard to materialise dreams of Benazir Bhutto and fulfil her promise of ‘Roti, Kapra aur Makan’ she made with the people.

He said the government has initiated deliberations with the World Bank and other foreign agencies for the generation of electricity and establishment of coal and thermal power plants.

In this connection a conference was held in Washington and the government was trying its level best to generate 4,000 megawatt electricity. He said the people of coastal districts of Thatta and Badin were living a miserable life and confronting with problems of poverty, illiteracy and unemployment.

Mr Shah said to extend maximum relief, the government besides providing jobs to the unemployed youth, have also introduced trainings in various skills with stipend ranging from Rs3,000 to 7,000 per month.

So far some 18,000 unskilled youth were getting trainings in the province and the figure would shoot up to 40,000 trainers till the end of this year, the chief minister said.

In pursuance of the party’s manifesto and the dream of late Benazir Bhutto, 250,000 acres of state land would be distributed among the landless peasants and added that the government had initiated distribution of land to the landless female peasants from Thatta district recently, he said.

He said to provide houses to homeless people, the government has earmarked 3,500 acres of land in defunct Hyderabad division to be allotted to the shelterless people and they would get help of the state for construction of houses.

Mr Shah said that till

June this year the government would construct and provide 10,000 houses to the homeless people and the objective have been initiated from Keti Bandar and Kharochhan where some 150 houses were under construction.

The chief minister said his party never believed in demolishing the abodes of poor and within a short span of time innumerable villages would be regularised in the province.

He said the government would compensate damages to the private sector anchored due to December 27, 2008, ill fated incident.

Speaking on the occasion, Provincial Minister for Culture and Tourism Sassui Palijo said that Sindh was still confronting grave problems like inadequacy of water downstream Kotri, hyper salinity, frequent capturing of Pakistani fishermen from its own territorial limits by Indian naval forces, poverty, unemployment etc.

Former MPA Ghulam Qadir Palijo and others spoke on the occasion.

Later, the chief minister inaugurated Hepatitis ward in Civil Hospital Makli.