close
Thursday March 28, 2024

KP produces no power despite federal gas: PM

By APP
February 11, 2018

By News Desk

ISAKHEL: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Saturday the federal government had unprecedentedly allocated 100 mmcfd of gas to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for a power plant but the provincial government could not accomplish the task.

The provincial government even did not adhere to the federal government’s suggestion of diverting only 28mmcfd gas to Agritech Fertilizer Plant till their plant becomes operational, he added.

The prime minister assured the workers of Agritech Fertilizer that the plant would get gas supply by next month to end their difficulties.

He called for jihad against political horse trading and categorically declared to resist and shame those who would get Senate membership using their fortune.

“Senate elections are due after a month. My question is how can a person from a party [PPP] which has no seats in a provincial assembly be elected to Senate from that province. We have to reject it and the politics of buying conscience,” he said. “This can never be in country’s interest. We have to launch jihad against it,” the prime minister said, addressing a public gathering after launching work on gas supply project to Isakhel Tehsil and surrounding areas.

The prime minister, who earlier launched the project by unveiling the plaque and welding a gas pipeline, said they would personally resist and shame those who would get Senate membership by buying the votes. “(We) will shame them. (We) will present them before the public court,” he said.

Abbasi said believing that the one winning Senate membership by using the riches could neither represent the people nor could serve the Senate.

“Therefore, the people have to face such politics through its reaction which could be improved only though public pressure,” the prime minister said and also sought public endorsement, asking the gathering to raise their hands in support.

Promising to expose those involved in horse trading, Abbasi said the PML-N would face them.

The project would cost Rs 2.30 billion involving government’s direct funding of Rs 1.2 billion and Rs 1.06 billion indirect funding. It would benefit the population of 180,000 people and comprise transmission line of 58 kilometres stretch and distribution network of around 406 kilometres.

The prime minister, who wore a traditional white turban of Mianwali, said it was the biggest ever gas project of Punjab province and vowed to expand the facility across the whole NA-71 constituency.

He said as the PML-N government inherited the ban on new gas connections owing to gas shortage but all the consumers were currently getting uninterrupted gas supply and long queues at CNG stations had also ended.

The prime minister said the people were getting fruit of voting the PML-N into government in forms of vast network of motorways, numerous power and gas projects.

He said the motorway from Hassan Abdal to Dera Ismail Khan was about to complete that would change the fate of locals by begetting employment opportunities.

‘This is the gift of the Nawaz Sharif and PML-N. This is fruit of your 2013 elections decision,” he remarked.

Abbasi claimed that the PML-N had carried out the development projects even more than last 65 years. Even the odds like sit-ins and conspiracies could not hamper the course of development, he added.

He was confident that the PML-N would again win 2018 elections to serve the masses for another five years.

He reiterated that the journey of development and democracy would go hand in hand but it were the people who had to decide either to vote those who delivered or those who merely made hollow claims.

Abbasi also announced the establishment of a medical college in the area besides assuring the implementation of policy of gas supply within the five kilometres radius of gas producing area.

The prime minister said the industrial zone being set up by Punjab government would uplift the area and assured the employees of water schemes to take up the issue of their delayed salaries to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.