Sindh government will take a decision regarding the issue of two-day weekly off after discussing it with all the stakeholders, said Sindh Minister for Information and Power Shazia Marri while addressing a press conference at her residence here on Tuesday. She said that at least 10,000MW electricity would be generated from the coal reserves of Thar Coal fields, which would be added to the national grid by 2020.
The minister said the governments of Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had decided that vast reserves of coal would be explored and electricity be generated as earlier as possible to overcome the persisting energy crisis in the country.
Shazia thanked Punjab government particularly Shahbaz Sharif for hosting the energy conference keeping in view the national interests. "Though Shahbaz is using indecent language against President Asif Zardari, it was Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani who accepted Shahbaz's idea of holding the conference in Lahore that was participated by chief ministers of all the provinces, federal authorities, others stakeholders," she added.
She said there was no division in Pakistan, saying that they could resolve all issues like National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, Sindh's right on collection of General Sales Tax etc. "It was the vision of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, who initiated IPPs with a capacity of 5,800 MW. However her policies were abandoned due to which the country is now in darkness. We have inherited the energy crisis from past government and trying hard to overcome the crisis," Marri added.