Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif was told Thursday that Pakistan Railways will complete the depose of 105 kilometers of rail by March 23, 2023, facilitating the transportation of tar coal to power plants, cement plants and brick kilns across the homeland.
At a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister, it was announced that a new railway line from Chor to Islamkot will be built at a cost of Rs 580 crore to be shared equally between the federal government and the Sindh government.
The Prime Minister also set up a commission under Planning Minister Afsan Iqbal and Sindh Chief Minister Saeed Murad Ali Shah with the mandate to assess the availability of coal from Thar mines and its demand in the local market, and give a 72-hour Send report within The Committee also includes Minister of Railways Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Prime Minister Dr. Jahanzeb Khan, Executive Director of Frontier Works Organization, and secretaries and experts from relevant ministries.
At the meeting, the prime minister said one of the government’s priorities was to tap local energy resources. By supporting low-cost power generation, Thar Coal can meet the country’s energy needs, he added.
Minister of Finance Ishak Dar, Minister of Energy Khurram Dastgil, Minister of Planning Asan Iqbal, Minister of Railways Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Prime Minister of Sindh Murad Ali Shah, Advisor to Prime Minister Ahad Cheema, Special Advisor to Prime Minister Ahad Cheema Jahanzeb Khan Mr. Zafaruddin Mahmood, Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh and relevant officials attended the meeting.