Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Saturday formed a committee for setting up energy projects in the province. He was presiding over a meeting of representatives of industries, trade, agriculture, labour and other sectors at Chief Minister's Secretariat.
The meeting was held to review the progress of power projects in Punjab and the discriminatory attitude meted out to Punjab with regard to electricity and gas loadshedding. Addressing participants of the meeting, he said that this committee should formulate comprehensive recommendations in consultation with all stakeholders and submit its report within a week.
Lamenting non-implementation of decisions taken in energy conferences, he said: "We will have to execute energy projects speedily. The Punjab government will assist in finding investment in the energy sector." Urging traders, industrialists, farmers, labourers and the common man to stage peaceful protests, he said that the Punjab government would support them in their struggle for their rights.
He said that private sector should come forward for launching energy projects and the Punjab government would fully cooperate and provide all possible facilities in this regard. Participants of the meeting informed that energy crisis had badly affected Punjab and urged the provincial government to strongly protest for its rights.
Labour leader Aslam Wafa said that the energy crisis had rendered a large number of workers jobless in Punjab, adding that they had been deprived of their livelihoods because of the closure of industry and their children had either been forced to drop out of schools or face starvation. The president of the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that discriminatory attitude was being adopted against Punjab with regard to electricity and gas load-shedding. Important energy projects such as Nandipur and Chichoki Malian had been delayed just because of non-payment of commission, adding that it had caused a loss of billions of rupees to the national exchequer.
Urging the Punjab government to adopt more forceful methods, he said that with the prevalence of corruption, it was difficult for the private sector to launch energy generation projects in Punjab. Leader of traders' community Khwaja Shafique said that provision of adequate and uninterrupted electricity and gas was vital for running industry and business. Farmers' leader Tariq Bucha also bemoaned electricity shortages and said that Punjab had always offered numerous sacrifices for the unity of the country and federation. Stressing the need for stopping excesses against Punjab, he said that Punjab's loss was loss for the entire country. The president of the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industries said that a conspiracy was being hatched to ruin Punjab's economy.
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