Focus on resolving energy crisis: CM

LAHORE
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, efforts are being made to overcome shortage of electricity and work is being carried out expeditiously on power projects.
He said the government was making serious efforts for coping with energy crisis and besides traditional methods of power generation due attention was being paid to production of electricity through alternative sources. He said the policy of giving incentives to local and foreign investors in energy sector had increased investment opportunities in this sector.
Talking to a delegation of Pakistan Muslim League-N assembly members and office-bearers here Sunday, the chief minister said that sincere efforts were being made for overcoming energy crisis and removing darkness from the country as resolving the energy crisis was essential for rapid industrialisation, promotion of trade and business activities and development of agriculture sector. He said the PML-N government, led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was making speedy progress in this direction and work was being carried out on a number of small hydel, coal, solar and gas-based power projects in the province for increasing electricity production. He said that work was in progress round-the-clock on a 1,320 megawatts coal-based energy project in Sahiwal and power production from this project would start during 2017.
He said that powerhouses based on gas were also being established in Punjab and a 1,200MW gas-based powerhouse was being set up by the Punjab government with its own resources while federal government would establish two powerhouses of 1,200MW each. He said every moment of the nation was precious and work was being carried out on energy projects without wasting any time.
He said a number of energy projects would be completed by the end of 2017 and their production would be added to the national grid due to which energy crisis would be resolved to a large extent. He said that overcoming of power shortage was the mission and agenda of the PML-N government and no effort was being spared in this regard. He said the Punjab government had introduced the culture of transparency, standard and speed in the implementation of development projects and energy projects were also being completed under the same policy. He said resolving the energy crisis at the earliest was of vital importance for speedy industrialisation, promotion of trade and economic activities and uplift of agriculture sector. Shahbaz Sharif said the PML-N government considered politics as worship and believed in selfless service to the people. He said that PML-N had served the masses with commitment during the last seven years and this process of public service would continue in future as well.
Assembly members while speaking on the occasion expressed the confidence that sincere efforts of PML-N leadership and the government for coping with energy crisis would succeed and this problem would be resolved. They paid tributes to the chief minister for taking splendid measures for the betterment of the people and said that Shahbaz Sharif had devoted himself to the welfare and betterment of the people and his efforts were commended not only in Pakistan but outside the country as well.