By Sawai Khan Chhalgri
Tharparkar is not only the district with the largest area but it is also the paragon of peace, coexistence and interfaith harmony. It is widely known as Thar HB with a population of sixty lack forty-nine thousand and six hundred sixty-one and spread over twenty thousand square kilometers. Tharparkar has seven Talukas viz: Mithi, Islamkot, Nagarparkar, Chachro, Dahli, Kaloi and Diplo. It has sixty-four union councils and two thousand three hundred and sixty-five villages. The elected representatives include two members of the National Assembly: Doctor Mahesh Malani, Peer Ameer Ali Shah; two senators: Engineer Gianchand and Senator Krishna Kumari members of provincial assembly include Faqeer Sher Mohammad Bilani, Arbab Lutiful Allah and Qasim Saraj Soomro and Rana Humair Singh and two advisors of Chief Minister namely Veer Ji Kohli and Khatu Mal Jeewan.
Thar is the hub of abundant natural resources such as coal, Granite, Salt and China clay. Thar Coal reserves are 175 billion tons spread over 9000 square kilometers. There is a variety of granite and nearly ten different kinds of granite reserves are available in 26 billion tons. Besides it, Thar is replete with plentiful reserves of China clay & salt that can be used for any commercial mining and industrial activities.
The government of Pakistan has taken indispensable initiatives to covert Thar as a major economic zone for the major foreign direct investment and projection economic and industrial activities. It is mandatory to mention that the Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) is fervently engaged in coal mining and its power generation plants have been successfully adding 660 Mega Walt(MW) coal-generated energy in the national grid. whereas 1320 MW will be added to the national grid by Sino Sindh Resource Private Limited ( SSRL). There are two under construction power plants of Thal Nova and Hubco Thar Energy limited of 330 MW each and they will also add their power to the national grid by 2020. Hence, it won’t be incorrect to assume that Thar will change Pakistan.
It is meritorious to mention that Sindh Government has taken praiseworthy and remarkable initiatives to facilitate and encourage the investment and industrialisation in the Tharparkar district with vivid infrastructural development such as a widespread network of well-constructed roads, construction of the 42 small dams, water carrier pipelines, dam for the reservoir of rainwater in Tharparkar district, establishment of the Mai Bhakhtawar airport, Establishment of NED University Campus, schools by Engro with the collaboration of TCF and the start of the state of the art institutions of heart diseases the institute of Cardiovascular Diseases( NICVD) and several other projects.
The Sindh government has made a remarkable initiative on constructing 42 small dams in Thar. The construction of 23 dams has successfully completed and inaugurated by Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah and he showed an eager interest in the completion of the remaining 11 small dams will be completed by 2022. The initiative of the construction of small dams will not only provide fresh drinking water to 87 villages but will irrigate 85000 acres of land. At present constructed 23 dams have immensely contributed to the irrigation of the hundred acres of land with bumper crops of wheat, Onions, Garlic, Oats, Gawaar, and other crops which is indeed a miraculous achievement of the Sindh government for the prosperity of the People that was the vision of Mohtrama Shaheed Banzeer Bhutto and Bilawal Bhutto which coming to happen as an undeniable reality.
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