PHOTO: REUTERS
The chief minister directed officials to complete the set target by December, adding that solar based electricity will be provided to far flung areas where transmission lines are not available.
“People residing in remote areas of Rajanpur, Cholistan, Thal and Dera Ghazi Khan will be provided solar energy,” he stated. He added that the government will adopt an off-grid solution to provide remote villages with electricity.
He also directed the energy department to prepare a feasibility report in this regard.
During the meeting, it was also decided to transfer government varsities onto solar power in phases. In the first phase, the University of Engineering and Technology Lahore will be shifted onto solar energy gradually.
Buzdar said that basic health units will also be phased onto solar power as well as water supply schemes. He directed officials to expedite the ongoing campaign against power pilferers and directed the Chief Minister Task Force to continue taking indiscriminate action to curb electricity theft.
“Action should be initiated against government officials involved in electricity theft,” he said.
The chief minister highlighted that the potential of generating solar energy in Punjab is exponential. Powering schools through solar power is an important government initiative and it should move forward without any delay, he maintained.
Installing solar panels at schools will help in ensuring an uninterrupted supply of electricity, he said. Buzdar added that around three thousand schools have been transferred to solar energy while 32,000 cases have been registered against power pilferers during the past nine months.
Thousands of citizens have been arrested for stealing electricity in a campaign against electricity theft, he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 3rd, 2019.
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