Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that provincial government’s power generation projects at Nandipur and Chichokimullian could not be made functional due to hurdles created by the federal government.Appearing for an interview on Waqt News Tuesday, Shahbaz accused the federal government of creating hurdles and being discriminatory against the Punjab government.

To substantiate his point, he mentioned Punjab government’s power generation projects at Nandipur and Chichokimullian could not be made functional due to hurdles created by the federal government.He alleged that the federal government failed to fix the tariff of electricity to be produced by sugarcane bagasse. The chief minister repelled the impression that the centre authorised provinces to generate power by the 18th Amendment. “It was me who raised this issue at a meeting of the Council of Common Interest after which it became a provincial subject”, he disclosed.  The chief minister said that the Punjab Power Board had been constituted to undertake power projects in the province.

The feasibility of a power project at Taunsa with capacity of generating 120 MW was completed and the work on the project would start soon, he said. Stressing the need of free and fair elections, Shahbaz Sharif said that any attempt to derail the election process would push the country towards anarchy. “The coming elections are not going to be held for the sake of changing government only but country’s survival dependant on these polls. Therefore, they should be held on time and transparently”, Shahbaz said. Responding to the allegation about steel purchase for the Metro Bas Rapid Transport Project, the chief minister clarified that the Ittefaq Foundry had been closed 15 years ago and it sold no steel for the bus project. 

The chief minister said that the MBRT would be completed at a cost of Rs30 billion only, rejecting the reports that Punjab government had spent over Rs70 billion on the project. He said that related facts would be made public after completion of the project. He observed that it was ironic that the federal government had sanctioned $2.6 billion for Mono Rail project in Karachi, but it was finding faults with the bus project in Lahore. The chief minister said that the federal government was discriminating against Punjab ‘when it comes to provision of funds.’ He said that he was happy that smaller provinces were getting adequate funds but Punjab should also be given its due share.  

 To a question, the chief minister said that ‘fountains of corruption originate from Islamabad. Despite a reminder by the interviewer that Nawaz Sharif had advised him to avoid harsh language against the president, the chief minister called President Zardari ‘king of corruption’. “I have no doubt about it that Zarbaba and forty thieves are looting the country with both hands.

Corruption scandals of federal government keep surfacing constantly”, he said, adding that democracy was not to be blamed if the rulers are corrupt.The CM claimed that he had got proofs of President Zardari’s corruption in the purchase of Augusta submarines from France where the case had been reopened.    To a question, Shahbaz said that dynastic politics must come to an end. The Election Commission, Supreme Court and all political parties should play their due role to close this chapter in country’s politics, hoping that dynastic politics would gradually fade away.