The government is taking steps to provide cheap electricity to the people, Mangla Dam project is the best example of Pak-US relations, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's address in Mangla

Mangala. December 5 (APP): Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that the government is taking steps to provide cheap electricity to the people because Pakistan cannot afford expensive energy. The project is the best example of Pakistan-US relations, this is the best time to promote trade and investment, the development of the country will not come from slogans and sit-ins, but from political stability. , the coalition government is working diligently to tackle the toughest challenges facing the country. He expressed these views while addressing the inauguration ceremony of the renovation of Unit 5 and 6 of Mangala Dam on Monday.

The Prime Minister said that the Mangala Dam project is the best example of Pakistan-US relations, it was founded during President Ayub's tenure. He said that the government is trying to provide clean, green and cheap electricity to the people, this dam has a very important role in our economic development, it was in need of repair, upgradation and refurbishment for which USAID has allocated 150 million. Dollars and France provided a loan of 90 million euros, with an additional 65 million euros pledged, the $483 million project is the best example of partnership.

The Prime Minister also thanked the American government and people for the announcement of cooperation for Tarbela Dam and said that this is the best time to expand the scope of Pakistan-US relations in various fields including trade and investment. He also thanked General Electric Hydro France and said that they have played an important role in LN power projects. The Prime Minister said that inaugurating this project is a matter of pride for me, cheap electricity is the need of Pakistan and the government is taking all possible steps in this regard.

The Prime Minister said that WAPDA has also spent a huge amount of 175 million dollars on this project for which the WAPDA officials deserve praise. He said that Pakistan is struggling with the most difficult challenges today, the coalition government is fighting the difficult challenges facing the country with full diligence and dedication. A few days ago, various comments were being made regarding the one billion dollar bond. We have arranged to pay for it.

The Prime Minister said that the achievement of Mangla Dam construction will remain alive in the pages of history, similarly, the good works done by the democratic governments will always remain on their credit. Load shedding was on the rise, Nawaz Sharif ended the load shedding, which started the industries and the farms became green, exports started to recover, Pakistan People's Party laid the foundation of the steel mill and completed it, this achievement of his will always be remembered in history. will be.

The Prime Minister said that Pakistan's energy bill has reached 27 billion dollars per year, no developing country can afford it, Allah Almighty has enriched Pakistan with immense resources, unfortunately we could not utilize our resources. Only 10,000 megawatts of electricity can be generated from Orhydel, while this capacity is much more than that.

The prime minister said that it is the responsibility of all governments if dams and water reservoirs had been constructed in the country, then the destruction caused by the recent floods would not have happened and due to cheap hydropower, Pakistan would have been on the path of development. He said that I don't know which cartels and powerful lobbies were there that did not allow work on cheap energy projects and today Pakistan is having to pay a huge amount of money for imports, but what has happened is now crying, making a spectacle. And there is no use in reading obituaries, the people have sacrificed a lot and have not done so, now the leadership will have to sweat blood and hold the hand of the nation by eliminating the contradiction between words and deeds.

The Prime Minister said that the floods caused massive destruction, it is a disaster caused by human hands, we are not asking for charity from the world, our narrative of providing environmental justice was accepted at the international level, our stand was recognized in Sharm-ul-Sheikh. . The Prime Minister said that we have to create courage and energy in ourselves while holding ourselves accountable and make hard work our slogan. We have to focus on sources of supply because we cannot afford expensive electricity.

He said that due to the war between Ukraine and Russia, oil prices are skyrocketing. Pakistan, which is an agricultural country, has to import billions of dollars worth of wheat. Stand up, but if you work with hard work and dedication, you will definitely get your destination. The Prime Minister said that Pakistan has the largest reserves of coal in the form of Tharcoal, starting a new project of 1320 MW which will provide cheap energy.

The Prime Minister said that development will not come from sit-ins and slogans but from political stability and performance. We have to serve the country beyond our personal likes and dislikes. On this occasion, the Prime Minister also announced a 10 MW project in three districts of Kohistan on the request of Engineer Amir Maqam.

Speaking at the event earlier, American Ambassador Donald Bloom said that this project is a manifestation of Pakistan-US relations and cooperation, the US will also cooperate with Pakistan to increase the capacity of Tarbela Dam, and joint measures should be taken to deal with environmental changes. As Pakistan recently faced the worst floods, Pakistan will have to help in the recovery work.

Chairman WAPDA Lieutenant General (retd) Sajjad Ghani said that the federal government has taken keen interest in providing clean, green and affordable energy, WAPDA has also made a policy in this regard under which existing projects are being improved and more dams are being built. Refurbishment will also be done.

He thanked America and France for their cooperation on these projects. The project director of General Electric Hydro France also addressed the ceremony. Special Assistant to Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi, Head of USAID and Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir were also present on this occasion.

The news is provided by the APP © 2022 The Associated Press of Pakistan, published by EMEA Tribune