MULTAN, June 15: Governor Khalid Maqbool said on Friday the government was taking emergency measures to overcome power shortage and end loadshedding all over the country.

Talking to journalists after addressing a meeting of the executive body of the Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he said electricity demand had substantially increased and led to shortfall.

He said the government was importing two power generators of 300 megawatt each, setting up another nuclear power plant with the help of China and was holding talks with the Independent Power Producers to set up thermal power plants to meet the electricity shortage. He said within the next one year the results would be visible.

He said the federal budget was welfare-oriented as it offered subsidies and included Rs520 billion worth of Public-Sector Development Programme. So was the Punjab budget that envisaged steps to improve the lot of the poor.

The governor said massive development being carried out across the country meant employment opportunities and more business activity. However in order to achieve the target, he said, stability was the key.

“The politics of protests, agitation and strikes will only scare away the foreign investors and lead to unemployment and poverty which the incumbent government endeavours to minimise,” he said.

He said 5,000 utility stores would be established in the country within two months.

The government, he said, had apportioned liberal funds for building dams to meet irrigation water needs and generate cheap hydel electricity.

BZU: Khalid Maqbool expressed pleasure over the Bahauddin Zakariya University’s decision to introduce regular MPhil (morning) classes instead of evening classes and bringing about a significant reduction in the fees.