Thar Coal Block II to be rail-linked

SUKKUR: The government has decided to lay a 143 kilometer long railway track from Thar Coal Block II to the nearest main railway line for transporting indigenous coal to lignite-fired power plants in Jamshoro and other areas, a statement said on Thursday.

Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) in a handout said the both federal and Sindh governments had agreed to work jointly on the project after deliberating the proposal put forward by the coalminer.

Shahzad Qasim Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Power, and Imtiaz Ahmad Shaikh, Sindh Energy Minister, gave their consent to this rare collaboration during an SEMC briefing at their office in Thar Coal Block II.

Speaking on the occasion Shahzad Qasim said the government was committed to support this initiative in every possible manner because Thar coal would fuel the baseload power generation for the country in the near future.

Responding immediately to the proposal put forth by SECMC, the PM’s aide asked the coalmining company to submit a formal proposal so that he could initiate the process with relevant stakeholders like Pakistan Railways and the Chinese companies, if required. “I will take up the proposal (for the railway track) at all federal government forums to get desired funding and the necessary approvals,” the PM’s assistant said.