Shehbaz, Murad agree to expedite K-IV, KCR, power projects

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, in their one-on-one meeting at the CM House on Friday, discussed different projects the federal government has initiated in the province and agreed to speed up the pace of their completion.

Shah thanked the PM for his visit to the CM House and getting a briefing on the progress and problems in the federally funded development projects in Sindh. He told Shehbaz that the Sindh government with the assistance of donor agencies had started work on the Red Line and Yellow Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects in Karachi. “The work on the Red Line project is in full swing while work on the Yellow Line will be started shortly,” the CM said and added that much traffic issues in Karachi would be resolved if the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project was launched.

The PM told the CM that the federal government was working closely with the Chinese authorities to include the KCR on the list of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)-priority projects.

Shehbaz and Murad also discussed the issue of the growing cost of electricity that had created unrest among the people of the country. Both the leaders after a thorough discussion agreed to convert all the coal-fired power projects on Thar coal so that the cost of power production could be decreased.

The PM said his government was working to provide relief to the people of the country. He added that indigenous sources of energy production such as coal and renewable energy sources would prove cheaper for power production and help provide due relief to the people of the country.

The CM said the Sindh government would distribute 200,000 solar home systems (SHS) among those living off-grid or using a maximum of 100 units per month so that they could be relieved of power bills.

The K-IV bulk water supply project for Karachi also came under discussion in the meeting between the two top authorities. The CM said that work on the K-IV canal and conduit was being carried out by the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) while the augmentation works were the responsibility of the provincial government.

To this, the PM said he would direct Wapda to expedite work on the canal and related structures. The CM said that his government was going to start the K-IV project’s augmentation works so that all the development works could be completed together

Murad said his government had started the Hub Canal water supply project under which the existing canal was being overhauled along with the construction of a new canal so that additional 200 million gallons of water per day could be brought to Karachi for the people of West, Keamari and Central districts. The PM appreciated the project.

The two also discussed the project of laying a 105-kilometre-long railway line from the Thar Coal field to Chhor so that coal could be transported upcountry for coal-based power plants and other industrial units. They agreed to expedite the completion of paperwork for the project.

Earlier, the CM along with Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Principal Secretary to CM Agha Wasif and Sindh Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon received the PM on his arrival at the CM House.