Imran Khan, Chief of Tehrik-i-Insaf, said that the power crisis was the second-most disastrous problem faced by the country after the scourge of terrorism, and the Federal budget did not have any substantial provision to deal with the crisis. In his telephonic address to local workers, headed by Saleem Bukhari, District President.
He said that the project for Bhasha Dam, proposed on the earth's fault line, had been pending for the last eight years, but nothing had been done in this regard and that the Rs 4 billion allocation for the project was not a wise decision. He said that the total cost of the dam was much more than the allocated amount, adding that there were several other sites, where a hydro-power station could be built and the government should look into these possibilities, rather than going for a risky project.
On the issue of the Kalabagh Dam, the PTI leader said that his party had always been a big supporter of the project, but the dam should be built after consensus among the provinces. He said that the PPP government had done nothing practical since it came into power, adding that 700,000 people were left unemployed in the textile sector only.
He said that the carbon tax on petrol, in the budget, was a criminal act as it was a kind of indirect tax on the general public. He said that government officials, in the budget speech, had asked the people to travel more on public transport, but there was no suitable public transport system in any city of the country.
Moreover, political leaders and government officials should first set an example of travelling on public transport and then expect people to follow suit. He said that the expenses of President house had been raised by 10 percent, which was absolutely needless.