Daily Times

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah said that Sindh was blessed with rich resources and there existed a need to tap into them and his government was on the right track.

“Sindh is rich in resources which generate 70 percent of its revenue, it has sixth largest coal deposits in Thar, has vast corridors of renewable energy and has the best irrigation system,” said the CM on Wednesday while addressing a delegation of Foreign Service of Pakistan (FSP) officers of 38th Specialized Diplomatic Course at the CM House.

He said that the province of Sindh generated 70 percent of the national revenue because it was a port city with industrial estates and a hub of flourishing trade and commerce. “We have tried to invest in its infrastructure development and in its industrial areas but the federal government has not supported the provincial government’sendeavours,” he said.

Talking aboutThar coal, Murad Ali Shah said that it was black gold and there were huge deposits in the desert. “The coal mining and power projects were started by Shaheed Benazir Bhutto in her second tenure but the successive government could not understand their national benefits and scrapped them entirely,” he said. He added that the PPP government did not only revive the projects and make investment out of its own resources but also persuaded international investors to come in.

He said that the mining work was in full swing and the power project was near completion. “By the end of December 2019 we would start power generation,” he said and added “it would be a great realisation of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto’s dream and it would be the beginning of ending energy crisis in the country.

Talking about renewable energy, the Sindh CM said that the wind corridor of Jhimpur, Thatta District had the potential of generating 50,000 megawatts (MW) of energy. “We have taken an impressive start and generated over 1000 MW from wind corridor and are also working on solar energy generation,” he said. He added that the people of Sindh had already started switching over to solar energy. “If you go to rural areas of Sindh you would finds solar plates installed in almost every third house because they are experiencing the worst power outage,” he said.

Replying to a question, CM Murad Ali Shah said that Karachi was one of the best cities in the region which had a facility of Tram plying on its main roads. “Now we are working on Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) and it would be established with help from China,” he said. He added that the project would be 41 kilometres (km) long and would feed all the BRT lines. “The solution of our public transport issue lies in KCR and it was environmentally the best project,” he added.

To another question, the CM said that the irrigation system of the province was one of the best systems in the world. “Our system is efficient but it suffers from water shortage. We have began lining our canals to conserve water,” he shared.

Speaking of the law and order, CM Muradsaid that it was a serious issue and the city had been converted to no-go area by different gangs and mafias that had established sway. “We started targeted operations in which our jawans of police, rangers and army laid their lives but restored peace,” he said and added “today people of this megalopolis city reap fruits of peace, trade and industry is flourishing, educational, literary and musical activities are on the rise.”

“Yes, there are various issues. This city needs treatment plants, water and sewerage system,” Murad Ali Shah said. He added that the government was working on K-IV and the project would be completed by the end of next year. “Work on S-III, greater sewerage project would also be completed within next two years,” he said.

The visiting delegation presented a memento to the CM and he also presented them with a memento. The meeting was attended by Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah, CM Advisor on Information Murtaza Wahab, P&D chairman Waseem, Sindh IG Kaleem Imam, Principal Secretary to CM Sajid Jamal Abro and provincial secretaries.

Published in Daily Times, November 1^st 2018.