LAHORE, April 10: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi announced on Thursday that power plants would be constructed on different irrigation channels in the province with the help of China.

With the construction of these plants the province would produce 600 megawatts of power, he said during a meeting with a delegation of the officers of the Habib Bank here.

The chief minister said 10 small dams would also be built in the Potohar region to generate power and fulfil the irrigation needs there.

He said underpasses would be constructed from The Mall, Lahore, to the Motorway to improve the flow of traffic.

The chief minister said the province had decided to establish the Punjab Development Authority to run development projects and complete mega projects in big cities in an organized manner.

The authority would ensure creation of infrastructure for industry and provision of amenities in the cities, he said, and added the government was also arranging financing for the promotion of agriculture on priority basis.

The chief minister said the action plan for more cotton and sugarcane production was being implemented.

A strategy had also been devised to introduce new seeds and counter virus of different crops.

A senior official of the bank said that it would provide funds for the infrastructure for industry and agriculture. A separate cell had been established by the bank for the purpose, he said.