Sindh seeks British govt’s help to rehabilitate Sukkur Barrage

Barrage would be given new life if restored by experts who built it, says CM


Our Correspondent September 21, 2017
. PHOTO: REUTERS

KARACHI: Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has urged the British government to locate the engineers and firm that constructed the Sukkur Barrage.
He said this during a meeting with British Minister of State for Trade and Investment Greg Hands. He was accompanied by British High Commissioner Thomas Drew, Acting Deputy High Commissioner in Karachi Steve Crossman and other officials.

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Shah was accompanied by Excise and Taxation Minister Mukesh Chawla, Planning and Development Board Chairperson Mohammad Waseem, Principal Secretary to the CM Sohail Rajput, Finance Secretary Hassan Naqvi and Board of Investment Chairperson Naheed Memon.
The chief minister said that the government had conducted a survey by World Bank experts to rehabilitate and reconstruct the barrage. He added that the construction of a new barrage is a big task, however, the Sukkur Barrage can be given a new life if rehabilitated by the same firm and experts who had originally constructed it.

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“Even if the British government does not extend financial support, it should help locate the firm and experts who constructed it so that their expertise could be obtained to rehabilitate it,” he said.
Shah, who also holds the portfolio of the irrigation department, said that the barrage was constructed in 1932 and has completed its logical life but the Sindh government has been carrying out its repair and maintenance work, therefore it still irrigates the land and provides for the people and animals living within its command area.

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Other avenues of investment were also discussed during the meeting. Shah said that Sindh is rich in resources and its wind and solar corridors have the capacity to generate 50,000 megawatts of electricity if proper investment is made.
He talked about the investment opportunities in the transport sector and said that his government has initiated a public-private partnership mode of investment. “This is successfully working in Sindh and our model is being replicated by other provinces as well,” he added.

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The British state minister took note of the issues raised by the chief minister and assured him to explore ways and means to open avenues of investment in Sindh.
Hands showed a keen interest in investing in the tourism sector, especially Mohen Jo Daro, in order to make it one of the largest tourist sites.
Shah nominated Waseem to coordinate with the British High Commission to carry forward various proposals discussed during the meeting.

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