Bids to solarise 17 govt buildings being evaluated
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed for fast implementation of solarisation project in the country by immediately removing all the impediments and other parts.
The prime minister said that a developing country like Pakistan could not afford to generate power by importing costly fuels. The prime minister expressed the views while chairing a high-level meeting to review progress on the solarisation project initiated across the country, PM Office Media Wing said in a statement.
The meeting was apprised that tenders had been floated for 17 government buildings for which bids were received and their technical examination was being carried out. Moreover, tenders for 50 other government buildings would be issued on April 20.
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The meeting was further informed that tender for 600MW Kot Addu power project had been issued in which a large number of international and national companies had expressed keen interest. The meeting was attended by federal ministers, PM’s advisers and senior officials.
Carnet-de-Passage limit
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the authorities concerned to immediately confiscate all the luxury vehicles being used illegally in the country despite the expiry of their Carnet-de-Passage limit.
A Carnet-de-Passage is an international agreement between two countries that allows the temporary importation of a car without having to pay the custom duties.
The prime minister, who took notice of such vehicles and chaired a special meeting on the subject, questioned as why the relevant department failed to act against such vehicles well in time.
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He also directed the formation of an inquiry committee to take strict action against the officials found involved in misuse of the scheme or those who showed negligence in this regard.
The prime minister asked the Federal Board of Revenue to compile the data of such vehicles which had completed their allowed limit under the scheme.
He was briefed on the method of entry and exit of such vehicles. During the meeting, the luxury vehicles were also pointed out which were still being used despite the expiry of the Carnet-de-Passage limit.
Federal ministers Rana Sanaullah, Syed Naveed Qamar, Special Assistant to PM Tariq Bajwa and relevant senior officers attended the meeting.
Service delivery
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said politics in the country was reduced to mere rhetoric and termed service delivery the main criterion for running a public office. “To me, service delivery alone should govern competition for public office,” he wrote on Twitter.
The prime minister regretted that politics in the country suffered from a structural flaw. “It has, unfortunately, been reduced to a shorthand for grandstanding and meaningless rhetoric,” he said. He said politics was an arena where people competed to serve fellow citizens.