'Sindh Coal Authority still functional'

Stressing the need for establishing coal-based power generating plants instead of oil-based, the Sindh government has clarified that the Sindh Coal Authority (TCA) is still functional.
"The Sindh Coal Authority (SCA) is in its place and the Coal and Energy Board (CEB) is aimed at intensifying our efforts to cope with shortage of power in the country... we want to tackle the problem from every angle," said Sindh Population Welfare Minister Jam Mehtab Dhar during a press conference at the Chief Minister House on Wednesday.
He was flanked by Sindh Irrigation and Power Minister Jam Saifullah Dharejo, Sindh Revenue Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Coal and Energy Board (CEB) Member Asad Ali Shah, Khattu Mal Jewan, advisor on Mines and Minerals, and other officials from the Sindh government.
Dhar said while serious crises, like electricity shortage, had put economy and development of the country into a stagnation the PPP-led Sindh government had formed CEB to accelerate and facilitate an early completion of the project. Jam Saifullah Dharejo terming the Sindh Coal Authority as purely a provincial body, underlined various functions of the Authority.
He said a notification issued by the federal government had created some confusion about possession of the project, which, he said, belonged to none but the people of Sindh. Syed Murad Ali Shah categorically declared the Sindh Coal Authority as a property of Sindh, saying the Board comprising representatives from federal and provincial governments was only to bring the Sindh Coal Authority project on a fast track.
To a query on rationale behind the inclusion of federal government officials in CEB, he said the Board was to deal with not only the coal but also the energy, which was a federal subject.
Asad Ali Shah stressing the strong need for setting up coal-based power generation plants, said this could help Pakistan save a huge sum of $8 billion it was presently paying for imports of oil to run its power generation units. He said that according to a recent study, Tharparkar had 175 billion tonnes of coal reserves with a best power generation quality on sustainable and affordable basis.
Shah said that at least six companies had submitted their proposals on SCA to Mines Department, which would be included in the next board meeting. When asked if provincial government had the required manpower for undertaking the mega project, Adviser Khattu Mal Jewan, Mines and Minerals, said at least 85 students had got admission to a technical college for a three-year skill development diploma in the mines sector.