Daily Times

LAHORE: The Punjab cabinet on Wednesday accorded approval to set up 1,200MW gas power plant in the province.

The cabinet meeting, chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, also gave approval for establishing Safe City Project in six cities of the province, including Multan, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala and Sargodha, in the first phase.

An agreement between the Punjab government, Agriculture Department and Akhuwat foundation was also approved to provide interest-free loans to smallholders and landless farmers for which the provincial government would set up a revolving fund with an initial amount of Rs 2 billion.

Amendments to different laws, including the Punjab E-Stamp Rules 2016, Punjab Sales Tax on Services (Amended) Ordinance 2016, Fort Munro Development Act 2016 and the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability (PEEDA) Act, 2016 were also approved, besides establishment of the Punjab Mental Health Authority under the Punjab Mental Health Ordinance, 2001.

The meeting highly appreciated the chief minister for making efforts to receive arrears of net hydro profit from the Centre. It paid a rich tribute to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the chief minister for speedy completion of energy projects.

In his address to the provincial cabinet, the chief minister said that the Punjab government had decided to set up a new gas power plant of 1,200 megawatt on its own.

“The project has been envisaged keeping in view the growing energy needs of the country, as well as the energy challenges of the future. A suitable piece of land would be identified near to the southern Punjab district of Rahim Yar Khan or Muzaffargarh for the establishment of gas power plant.”

Like all other development projects, the energy project would also be completed in stipulated timeframe, he said, adding that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government was striving hard for fast track completion of energy projects.

Referring to the Safe City Project, he said that the project would be launched from the provincial capital in the first place.

The chief minister said that the launch of e-stamp papers was yet another historic step of the Punjab government, which was facilitating the people.

“The launch of e-stamp papers has changed the archaic and obsolete system, which will help eradicate fraud, forgery and issuance of stamp papers in back dates,” he maintained.

Provincial ministers, Advisers, special assistants, chief secretary and secretaries of departments concerned attended the meeting.

Separately, the chief minister Wednesday said that the work on clean drinking water project would be started this year.

Under the project, 37 tehsils of the southern Punjab will be provided clean drinking water.

Addressing a meeting held here in this connection, Shahbaz vowed to take every step to provide clean drinking water to the people.

“Progress on the project be made in an efficient manner in consultation with the foreign experts,” he added.