Economic Revolution In Making In Thar: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

The Chairman Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari along with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah visited Thar Coal Block II.

ISLAMKOT, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Apr, 2018 ) :The Chairman Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari along with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah visited Thar Coal Block II.

They took a view of mining operations, construction of two 330 MW power plants and the community development work done by Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) in a public private partnership model in Tharparkar, said a press release issued here on Wednesday Bilawal Bhutto Zardari- addressing the public gathering attended by scores of people from nearby villages and towns, said "Thar boasts the best part of the positive change that is going to happen to the country soon".

The public-private partnership project, having Sindh Government, Engro, and other Pakistani and international companies as shareholders, is rendering results as envisioned by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto herself.

Enumerating the socio-economic offshoots of the Thar Block II projects he said that progress in education and health sectors, promotion of local handicrafts, hand holding of local businesses and the landscape-changing Bio-saline Agriculture were visible.

He did not just see but experienced by having in lunch the vegetables grown there, Bilawal said adding that similarly, fish farming in Tharparkar has also been initiated and pilot project has been successful.

Speaking about importance of the project, Bilawal said, "Thar is the answer to the objection raised against the project, which questions its benefit to local population, as 70% of the project employment is from Tharparkar's local communities.

" Speaking on the occasion, Sindh CM Syed Murad Ali Shah, said that massive economic activity in Tharparkar was realization of the dream of Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari, who has not only come here in 1995 but also initiated the project.

The PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari handed over the key to the owner of a house in New Senhri Dar Resettlement Village, a model village planned and established for the resettlement of the villages which need to move due to mine expansion in Block II.

He visited different projects run by the Thar Foundation, a nonprofit established by the companies for socio-economic uplift of the area, including Marvi Clinic, Thar Foundation Primary Schools, TCF Jiwan Das Campus, Model House at New Senhri Dars Resettlement Village and the biosaline agriculture project.

During the ceremony, Cricketer-turned-social worker Shahid Khan Afridi also handed over to the Thar Foundation a cheque of Rs.100 million as donation for establishment of the planned state-of-the-art Thar Foundation Hospital in Islamkot.

Earlier, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SECMC and Thar Foundation, Shamsuddin Ahmed Shaikh briefed the delegation on progress of the Thar Block II's mining, power and different schemes of social development focused on uplift of the Thari communities, 'the real stakeholders of Thar Coal', as SECMC refers to them.

He informed that they have achieved a depth of 125 meters and need to go about 20 meters more to touch coal, which will be by the end of this year.