The initiative to construct a 105km railway line connecting the Thar coalfields and Chhor, with the purpose of facilitating the transportation of coal to power plants and cement industries, has been granted approval by the Sindh cabinet. An additional railway track would be constructed to connect Bin Qasim town and Port Qasim, serving the same objective. The significance of railway lines was underscored by Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh, who highlighted the logistical challenges hindering the efficient transportation of substantial coal reserves in Thar. The provincial government of Sindh has announced its intention to offer a credit equivalent to 50% of the overall project cost to the railway sector for implementation purposes.
Furthermore, the cabinet has granted approval for an augmentation in the remuneration provided to the families of deceased and injured police officers, thereby aligning it with the same compensation in the province of Punjab. The remuneration for various tiers of law enforcement personnel who perish while performing their duties has been updated, with supplementary sums designated for the construction of residences and the provision of vehicles. The cabinet has additionally granted approval for the provision of compensation to police personnel who sustain injuries or become handicapped, encompassing individuals impacted by acts of terrorism or bomb explosions.
The government has approved a monthly payment of Rs10,000 for police personnel stationed in the Katcha area of Sukkur and Larkana divisions, where the task of crime control and apprehension of criminals has proven to be arduous. In order to tackle this matter, it has been proposed to create a total of 20 police camps and 350 police posts inside the Katcha regions of Ghotki, Sukkur, Shikarpur, and Kandhkot-Kashmore districts.
In addition, the cabinet has established a set price of Rs425 per 40kg for sugar cane during the crushing season of 2023-24, following negotiations with the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association. The initiation of the crushing season has been scheduled for November 15.
Furthermore, the cabinet has granted approval for the building of an IBA Sukkur campus in Ghotki. This campus will provide undergraduate degree programmes in BBA (Hons), BS (computer science), and BEd (Hons). The Circuit House of the district will be allocated for the establishment of the campus, with a total budget of Rs150 million as an initial investment, Rs250 million as an annual grant, and Rs50 million as an endowment fund grant, all of which have been officially sanctioned. The IBA Sukkur has been granted authorization to acquire buses and other vehicles for the Ghotki campus as well.