KARAK - Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Thursday inaugurated an oil and gas processing and LPG recovery plant in the Nashpa of Karak, which, he said, has been completed at a cost of Rs20 billion.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, the prime minister said that the OGDCL would get Rs60 billion annual income from the project, while 400 tons of LPG would be processed at the facility on a daily basis.

Abbasi said that the federal government has paid Rs42 billion to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government in royalty against the oil and gas produced from the area. The premier announced to bear half of the expenditures, with the KP government, in providing gas facility to the people of the district.

He said that when the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government came to power in 2013, about 1000 tons of gas was produced in the country and now the production has reached 1800 tons.

Abbasi recalled that when they were voted to power, 16-hour-long load-shedding was carried out across the country and now the country was producing surplus electricity. He said that the government was observing load-shedding only in those areas where line losses and pilferages were high.

He said that his government has put the country on the path to development according to the vision of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

“It is up to the masses who they vote to: either they cast their vote to those who are abusing or to those who believe in decent politics and work”. He said that the people would decide in July general election and expressed the hope that the electorates would decide in favour of the PML-N keeping its performance in view.

He appreciated the performance of the OGDCL and PPL gas companies and said that both the companies had been included in the best companies of the world. He also announced a one-month bonus for the OGDCL employees.

The prime minister announced gas supply to the population living in five-kilometer-radius of gas fields and also announced to legalize gas connections in areas where pilferage was high.

He further announced to link district Karak with the China Pakistan Economic Corridor via Shakardara and to also hand over Banda Daud Shah Road and Tall Road to National Highway Authority for completing work as early as possible.

The prime minister also approved a woman university campus for Karak and asked the OGDCL to establish a modal educational institution in the area. He also announced health cards for deserving people in district Karak.