GILGIT, Nov 2: The chief executive of Northern Areas, Nisar A. Memon, has said that representatives of a Chinese firm would soon visit Gilgit and finalize a plan with the regional administration to establish an automobile plant with a capacity of assembling 220 buses per year.

He was presiding over a cabinet meeting of the Northern Areas Legislative Council here on Saturday.

Mr Nisar, who is also federal information minister, said that he had contacted the firm to set up the plant.

This development would provide job opportunities to the locals, he added.

The cabinet also discussed the shortage of electricity in Gilgit city and in its surrounding areas and decided to install two thermal generators of two megawatt each in Gilgit.

“I will contact the Water and Power Development Authority or some other relevant quarters in Islamabad to obtain Rs58m to procure these generators”, Mr Nisar told the meeting.

He said Mrs Kaneez Zehra, a member of the council, had been appointed as in-charge of the newly-established Women Development Directorate. Her status would be equal to an adviser of the NALC, he said.

The cabinet also decided in principle to constitute a Northern Areas Public Service Commission.

The chief executive directed the secretary finance to estimate the budget for the commission and include it in the coming budget.