Solar power plant installed at UET

LAHORE:Punjab Minister for Energy, Akhter Malik on Monday inaugurated 1MW pilot project of solarisation at University of Engineering & Technology (UET), Lahore, along with inking MoUs with other 10 public sector universities for their conversion to solar energy during the next year.

The formal launching of solarisation of public sector universities was done in a well-attended ceremony. Earlier, the chief minister was expected to inaugurate the recently completed project but he could not attend it. Energy Minister Akhter Malik along with Special Assistant to CM on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan and five other ministers of the provincial government, including Mohsin Laghari, Chaudhry Zaheer-ud-Din and Ashifa Riaz Fatyana attended the ceremony.

In his key note speech, Dr Akhter Malik said the Punjab government was paying more than Rs36 billion annually for electricity bills to its over 95,000 connections. He said that 1MW of solarisation of UET was the first step towards solarisation of all the public sector connections to reduce the electricity burden on public exchequer.

He said solarisation of all the public universities in Punjab alone would result in Rs1 billion annual savings and Rs25 billion saving to public money over the next 25 years once the whole project was completed.

He said that the project would add 60MW of clean, environment friendly and cheap electricity to the national grid. The UET alone would save around Rs270 million annually due to solarisation project.

He said his department was determined to turn Punjab into a solar province by converting major public installations on solar energy. He said that under the CM’s leadership and vision of PM Khan, provision of cheap and environment-friendly energy to masses was his passion.

teachers’ demands: Members of working class have demanded the government accept the legitimate demands of teachers working on contract for years. They demanded employment on permanent basis for teachers and said the teachers were being denied their lawful right to social dialogue with the government.

This demand was raised in the meeting of All Pakistan Federation of Trade Unions (Regd) on Monday at Bakhtiar Labour Hall, Lahore, attended by large number of trade union representatives and workers belonging to various affiliated trade unions. The meeting was addressed by Khurshid Ahmed, General Secretary, along with Akbar Ali Khan, Osama Tariq, Khushi Muhammad Khokhar, Salah-ud-Din Ayubi, Nosher Khan and others.