Country to be rid of inflation soon: PM Shahbaz Sharif

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said that the country will be rid of inflation soon as it is opportune time to rectify past mistakes.

He said that efforts are afoot to control inflation in the country through short-term relief measures. He said the government would promote solar power generation projects to mitigate the challenges of shortage of electricity.

He lauded the step of the Punjab government to provide free electricity to consumers using 100 units and hoped that the other provinces would also emulate the facility.

PM inaugurated the first four-line interconnected Islamabad metro bus service, terming the step a big relief for commuters of the twin cities dealing with high fuel prices.

Addressing at the launch of Green and Blue lines of the mass transit metro bus service, he termed the service a gift for the residents of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, which would accommodate common man, students and workers plying on the routes.

With the service, Bhara Kahu, GT Road, Koral and Rawalpindi have been connected through Green, Orange, Blue and Red Lines respectively. The bus service will run from Bhara Kahu to PIMS (Green Line); Koral to PIMS (Blue Line) where all the Green Blue service will merge with Red Line (Rawalpindi Islamabad Metro).

From Faiz Ahmad Faiz Bus Stop, the passengers can take Orange Line to Airport. The prime minister mentioned that at the time when the petrol prices skyrocketed, the launch of four metro bus lines would be a sigh of relief for the commuters.

He said a decent and on-time transportation service on regular basis is a service to common man and lauded the efforts of Interior Minister and the CDA chairman for service delivery. He announced to offer free transportation service to commuters for one month.

PM Sharif regretted that a delay in launch of service for four year during the previous tenure incurred heavy losses to national exchequer. He directed completion of allied services to metro bus project on urgent basis to facilitate the common man.

PM Sharif said the shuttle service from Rawat to Koral is under consideration and funds would be provided for an early launch. He said every penny of national exchequer would be spent judiciously for the uplift of citizens and stressed that every public project be monitored to avoid lapses in delivery.

The prime minister appreciated the efforts of Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah for the steps taken regarding the welfare of Islamabad police and their families. The prime minister also laid the foundation stone of a Command and Control Centre for metro buses at Bhara Kahu, which will be completed in six months.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said the service would accommodate the residents of Islamabad and adjoining areas as an affordable and decent transportation. He mentioned that Shehbaz Sharif throughout his political career took steps to facilitate the common man.

CDA chairman Amir Ahmed Ali said 30 buses from China had been added to the fleet to facilitate the services. He said from Koral to Pims, 13 bus stations had been set up with headway of six minutes.

Owing to road construction up to Rawat, a bus shuttle from PWD will run. He said 8 stations on Green Line have been completed, whereas the rest of six stations would be completed by August 14. A bus depot had been established at Bhara Kahu to save the dead mileage.

The CDA chairman said a smart card would also be launched to be used on all bus services, including Rawalpindi’s Red Line. The Command and Control Centre will be completed in six months.

He said Islamabad is the first city in the country with four bus lines operating and vowed to expand in the capital’s sector areas at a stretch of 8-9 kilometres.

Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the government was working on a "comprehensive plan" for shifting to solar power in an effort to rid the country of costly electricity produced from oil and gas.

The prime minister, while chairing a meeting of the Energy Task Force, said that a national solar energy policy will be announced on the first of next month to address energy related issues.

“Coalition government will soon introduce the country’s first comprehensive solar policy after approval of the Council of Common Interests (CCI),” the prime minister on his twitter, after chairing the meeting, said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured the government of Balochistan of federal government’s all possible support to help overcome the losses caused by the heavy rains in the province.

The prime minister, in a meeting with Chief Minister of Balochistan Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, said the development of Balochistan was among his government’s priorities. During the meeting, they discussed the overall political situation particularly the matters pertaining to Balochistan.

PM for accelerated rescue relief operation in rain affected areas Meanwhile, the premier directed the authorities concerned to accelerate rescue and relief efforts in the areas affected by heavy rains and floods in different parts of the country, particularly Balochistan.

The prime minister expressed grief over the loss of life and property caused by the rains and consequent floods. He asked the chief ministers of the provinces to prioritise the provision of assistance to the rain and flood affected people, besides personally supervising the operation.

He also directed the National Disaster Management Authority and provincial disaster management authorities to speed up the emergency measures in coordination with the provincial governments and relevant departments.

He also instructed the relevant departments to accelerate relief and rescue operation in Quetta, Qila Saifullah, Zhob, Pishin, Harnai, Khushnub, Qamaruddin, Muslim Bagh and other affected areas. He also directed for providing immediate relief to the people who had lost their houses due to the heavy rains.

The prime minister also called for a better coordination to carry out relief and rescue operation in Sindh, particularly Karachi, and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, besides providing the best medical facilities to the injured and the relocation of the affected people to safe areas.

He asked the authorities concerned to carry out a survey of the affected areas so that a mechanism could be developed for compensation to the affected people. The prime minister also asked the ministers and parliamentarians to ensure coordination in the rescue and relief efforts in the affected areas.