NewsFeb 03 , 2016
PM House confirms receiving resignation of Nasser Jaffar
By Muhammad Saleh ZaafirPIA chairman steps down
ISLAMABAD: Chairman PIA Nasser Jaffar on Tuesday stepped down after the killing of two protesting employees and submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.
The Prime Minister’s House confirmed receiving the resignation. Sources close to the PM House also hinted at the acceptance of the resignation.However, sources in the PM House told The News thatthe prime minister had summoned Nasser Jaffar for consultation. The PM will also consult his aides before taking further action.
Meanwhile, sources told this reporter that Nawaz, who was “visibly saddened” by the death of two PIA workers, also had an informal discussion with his advisers at the PM House, including Convener of Special Committee of the Senate on PIA Senator Mushahidullah Khan.
The committee consists of members belonging to all parliamentary groups in the Senate.
During consultations, the prime minister maintained that the government would do everything that will be in the interest of the national airlines and its workers. It is expected that Nawaz would appoint a government committee to look into the affairs of PIA.
Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafiq could be appointed as the head of the committee, the sources added.PM says progress on one side, protest on the other
Politics in PIA has political backing; strike costing PIA Rs100m daily; Bhutto also extended ESM Act; says one billion saved in three projects; Tarbela, Mangla capacities being raised; 3,600MW projects to be completed by 2018
SAHIWAL: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said the Essential Services Maintenance (ESM) Act was extended to the Pakistan International Airlines to improve its performance. He said there is development on the one side and protest on the other. Politics is being played, he said.
Talking to newsmen here, the prime minister said the strike in PIA had the backing of some political parties and was causing Rs100 million loss per day. “Politics is going on in PIA. And it is going on with the backing of some political parties. Should we not check it and improve the situation,” he remarked.
The prime minister said the passengers face hardships due to the poor service of PIA and the poor condition of its fleet. Should we ignore it, he questioned. It will not happen at all, the prime minister remarked.
He said the striking employees will be sacked and will be even facing one year imprisonment under the Essential Services Act. He said any concession for such elements would be unfair.
He, however, maintained that those employees who were doing a good job in PIA and were not paying heed to the striking elements would be rewarded. Referring to the statement of Opposition Leader Khursheed Shah who described the government’s decision to extend the Essential Services Act to PIA as a dictatorial decision, he said Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had also extended this act to PIA in 1976.
Responding to a question about the planned agitations of opposition parties, the prime minister said they were afraid that due to the government’s development projects and agenda, they would lose political space. He referred to various ongoing mega development projects across the country, including roads, motorways, power and gas projects, Metro Bus and Orange Line Train.
Meanwhile, addressing a large gathering here after reviewing the progress on Rs1.8 billion Sahiwal Coal Power Project that would add 1,320 MW to the national grid by the end of 2017, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said his government is committed to fast track development of the country and would not be deterred by petty politics of sit-ins.
He said the positive economic indicators and turnaround were a glaring proof of the government’s achievements in a short span of time.Nawaz regretted the politics of criticism and confrontation and said the protests and objections to national projects for petty gains were not doing any service to the nation. Had there been no sit-ins in Pakistan, many of the delayed projects would have been completed by now, he said.
He said the government was committed to taking the country forward on the path of progress. The ongoing projects were for the people and not for the workers of PML-N alone. He mentioned the protests against the Orange Line Train project and said it was for the people of Pakistan by providing them quality transport facility at an affordable cost.
He also pointed out that those who were critical of the first Motorway project in Pakistan are today among the most frequent users of the facility but have no guts to admit its importance. He said Pakistan was on the path of progress as a network of roads and motorways were being constructed along with large infrastructure projects. The Chinese president during his visit had announced US$46 billion investment in different power projects that would generate employment and massive economic activity, he added.
He earlier visited different sections and saw the ongoing work. He was briefed about the progress on the project being undertaken by the consortium of two Chinese companies. Nawaz reviewed the pace of work on 1,320MW Coal Power Project at Qadirabad, Sahiwal district. The project consists of two plants of 660 MW each.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif lauded the fast pace of work being undertaken by the Chinese company. He said in six months time, the once barren land had been transformed and was buzzing with hectic activity. Shahbaz said all the ongoing power projects were being constructed with full transparency at the lowest cost as had been acknowledged by banks and all institutions. He regretted the attitude of National Electric Power Regulatory Authority. He also regretted the sit-ins by a political party which he said had caused undue delays in the completion of critical projects across the country.
The prime minister reviewed the progress on the coal power plant. He directed early completion of rail link. Even the Chinese company had admitted that the said project was being completed at a faster pace, he said. Nawaz said his government was undertaking power generation projects that were much below their stipulated cost of construction and reflective of new standards for their transparent completion. He mentioned the work on Dasu Dam project over the River Indus and the Tarbela expansion projects and said his government was working on long-term projects like the Diamer-Bhasha Dam that would generate 4,500MW, Jamshoro 1,320 MW and 1,700 MW would be obtained through wind power.
He said the objective is also to provide cheap electricity to industries and mentioned the Rs3 cut in power tariff.
He said 3,600MWs of power would be generated through the use of imported LNG and the projects in this regard would be completed before 2018. He said in three power projects alone, billions of rupees had been saved. He said a similar project at Port Qasim was also being completed at a fast pace. Another 3,400 MW project was underway at Thar where local coal was readily available. He referred to the Sino-Pakistan joint production of the JF-17 Thunder aircraft and said it was a symbol of their friendship and an important addition to the Pakistan Air Force.
Song Taiji, Chief Executive Officer of Humeng Shandong Ruyi (Pakistan) Energy, expressed the hope that the project would be completed ahead of schedule. The president of the Chinese company undertaking the project was appreciative of the support of the federal and the provincial governments. He said his company boasted a total of 160 GW installed capacity in various projects in China. The project is part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and boasts some of the most modern equipment for power generation.
According to the officials working at the Sahiwal Coal Power Plant, it would kick off commercial operation on experimental basis by December 2017. It would be later expanded to add another 1,000 MW in the second phase. Work on the project started in May 2014. The plant would consume four million tons of coal annually and a new conveyor belt was being installed at Port Qasim to meet the heavy requirements of coal for power generation. The coal will be transported through a new rail link to the site of the plant that is around 15 kms away from the main line.
The project when completed would help reduce the energy shortfall in the country and would be a symbol of Pakistan-China friendship. The prime minister was accompanied by Water and Power Minister Kh Asif, Punjab Governor Rafiq Rajwana, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and provincial ministers.
The entire investment of the project is being made by a Chinese bank through the Chinese Independent Power Producers (IPPs) executing the Sahiwal Coal Power Project. The project is sprawled over 1,700 acres. Huaneng Shandong Group China will complete 51 percent of the project while the remaining 49 percent work will be completed by Shandong Rayi Science, China.
The first 660MW plant will start power generation by December 31, 2017 and the other of 660MW by June 30, 2018. The project also entails 9.5 kilometres transmission line of 500kv to be connected with the nearby 500kv grid station at Yousafwala. The project will consume 4.48 billion tonnes of coal annually to be imported from South Africa and Indonesia. In Pakistan the imported coal will be offloaded at Port Qasim from where it will be transported to the Sahiwal Coal Power Plant through a special train service. For this purpose, 20 locomotives are being purchased from China.
Addressing a gathering after witnessing the progress of work on 1,320 MW coal fueled power project at Sahiwal, Nawaz said Pakistan should exploit its own coal reservoirs besides importing the same. Nobody since the last 70 years ever thought of using coal for power generation, he said, adding this is for the first time that we are using coal reservoirs for power generation which exist in the country in huge quantity. He said the existing capacity of Tarbela and Mangla Dams is being increased and some 3,600MW projects will be completed till 2018.
Earlier, on May 30, 2015, the prime minister laid the foundation stone of the project on the occasion of its groundbreaking ceremony. The project was first signed between the Punjab government and the China Western Power Company in November 2013. Later, it was put to a halt when the company showed a lack of interest due to certain reasons. In 2015, the plant was handed over to a consortium of two Chinese companies — Huaneng Shandong Electricity and Shandong Ruyi Group.
Courtesy www.thenews.com.pk
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