LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that apart from the government, it is also for the industrialists and investors to come forward to free the country of electricity crisis and consequent load-shedding.
He said that all options are being exercised for generation of power. He said that 1000 megawatt energy can be generated from bagasse and the government has evolved a package for sugar mills for this purpose which will soon be announced.
He was talking to delegations of Pakistan Sugar Mills Association and All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) which called on him here on Thursday.
Federal Minister for Water & Power Khawaja Muahmmad Asif, Advisor to Prime Minister on Energy Musadaq Malik, Provincial Energy Minister Sher Ali Khan, Agriculture Minister Farrukh Javed, Chairman FBR Tariq Bajwa, Chairman NEPRA, Secretary Water & Power and senior officials concerned were also present.
The Chief Minister said that the government will resolve energy crisis at any cost. He said that measures are being taken expeditiously for generation of electricity from bagasse through sugar mills and legislation for the use of bagasse only at the sugar mills is under-consideration.
He expressed the hope that the sugar mills will be able to produce electricity at a large scale within a few years so much so that production of sugar will assume secondary importance.
Federal Minister for Water & Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif said that all problems of Sugar Mills Association have been resolved on priority basis.
The Chief Minister said all projects of power generation will be completed in a transparent manner and provision of maximum facilities will be ensured to investors. Shahbaz Sharif said that load-shedding has reduced due to the steps taken by the government and situation will further improve in future.
He assured the APTMA delegation that their problems will be resolved on priority basis. He said that all out efforts are being made in supply of gas and electricity to textile industry and situation is much better than the tenure of last government.