750MW from new power plant within week: Shahbaz

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Monday the 1,230MW gas-fired power plant at Haveli Bahadar Shah would start generating 750MW of electricity within a week for the national grid.

The efforts being made under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for overcoming the energy crisis had started bearing fruit, he added. The chief minister said they had to fight both darkness and its supporters and vowed “we will succeed on both fronts with the support of the people and by grace of Almighty Allah”.

Shahbaz said the PML-N government was setting new records of development in Punjab while the opponents remained engrossed in levelling allegations. He said the elements desirous of failure in the PML-N government’s journey to development, in fact, wanted to see the masses unsuccessful, but the conscious people of Pakistan would not allow that to happen.

Talking to media men during his visit to the Haveli Bahadar Shah power plant in Jhang, the chief minister said the development made in energy production during the last four years had no precedence in the 70-year history of Pakistan. He vowed to provide the required electricity to domestic and industrial consumers.

He also paid tributes to the local and international experts and workers working in scorching heat on the project which would cost Rs 90 billion. During the visit, the chief minister inspected different sections of the plant and expressed satisfaction over the speed of work and told the engineers and workers that they were performing a national service.

On the other hand, the first turbine of the plant started power generation on trial basis on Monday night. And in Lahore, the chief minister said a special incentive package would be introduced to tackle the lack of M.Phil and PhD degree holders in the health sector and directed the Health Department to ensure implementation on the proposals.

He was chairing a meeting which reviewed the progress on different reforms initiated in the health sector and the ongoing programmes aimed at providing quality healthcare facilities to the people.

The chief minister said merit had been promoted at every level by the Punjab government and the policy for admissions in private medical colleges would also be ensured. “I have neither violated the merit policy till today nor have allowed anybody to do so. Merit is the only option for qualitative improvements in health sector.”

He said steps should be proposed to regulate the private medical colleges with mutual consultation and also directed to hold the third-party inspection of these. Shahbaz said the departments concerned were totally empowered and would have to perform their duties diligently, adding “we are responsible for it besides being answerable to the people”.

The chief minister said record funds had been allocated for the health sector in the upcoming financial year but the achievement of desired results would have to be ensured. He sought recommendations to improve the system of medical examination and directed to constitute a committee in this regard. Shahbaz said the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department had presented a wonderful plan to eradicate the viral diseases, which must be implemented at all costs.