Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was told on Thursday that Pakistan Railway would complete the laying of 105 kilometers long rail track by March 23, 2023, to facilitate the transportation of Thar coal to power and cement plants as well as brick kilns across the country.
During a meeting, chaired by the prime minister, it was told that the new rail track would be laid from Chhor to Islamkot which would cost Rs58 billion, to be equally borne by both the federal and Sindh governments.
The prime minister also constituted a committee under Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, with a mandate to assess the availability of coal from Thar Coal Mines and its demand in the local market, asking them to present a report within 72 hours.
The committee would also consist of Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Special Assistant to PM Dr Jahanzeb Khan, Director General of Frontier Works Organization, and secretaries and experts of relevant ministries.
The prime minister told the meeting that it was among the government’s priorities to exploit the local energy resources. Thar Coal can cope with the country’s energy needs by helping to generate low-cost electricity, he added.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Energy Minister Engineer Khurram Dastgir, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Advisor to PM Ahad Cheema and special assistants to PM Dr Jahanzeb Khan and Zafaruddin Mahmood, Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh and relevant senior officers attended the meeting.
