‘Coal power plant near BRB Canal scrapped’

LAHORE
Punjab government Tuesday informed the Lahore High Court that the project of setting up a coal power plant near BRB Canal had been scrapped.
The bench was hearing a number of petitions filed by individuals and the Lahore Press Club challenging construction of the power plant for being a redundant technology and health hazard.
When asked by the bench, an additional advocate general Shan Gull said a notification to this effect would be issued soon. The bench headed by Justice Shahid Karim observed that the government should discuss merits and demerits before initiating any project to save the public money.
The counsel told the bench that the Punjab government intended to acquire 1188 kanals and 5 marlas land in Moza Khaira and Sultan Pura to establish Small Coal Power Project. He said the coal power projects have been declared as outdated across the world and had been considered as a technology which was not feasible to the human beings. He pointed out that the government established a company “Punjab Power Development Limited” having aims to develop power projects with public private partnership and arrange funding through loan negotiation and joint venture and others. He said the land proposed to be acquired was located within the newly declared residential area and close to the Lahore Press Club Housing Society.