US Consulate delegation visits Thar Coal Block II

HYDERABAD: A delegation of US Consulate Karachi visited Thar Coal Block-II at Islamkot district Tharparkar.

According to an announcement here on Friday, the delegation was informed that Thar Coal Block II projects have achieved 75 percent completion and first electron will be produced by the end of this year.

The delegation led by Mark Pituch, Energy Specialist, David Bargueno, Political officer and Fahad Zaidi of the US Consulate Karachi had a detailed visit of Thar Block II. The delegation visited the mining work underway by Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) and 660 MWs power plant by Engro Powergen Thar Limited (EPTL) and also witnessed community development projects of the Thar Foundation.

The delegation also met the women dump truck drivers where they appreciated the Thari women’s resilience and commitment to stand up to challenges posed by the socio-economic conditions of their area.

Prior to visit to the field, the General Manager SECMC Naseer Memon briefed the delegation on the overall mining, power, and community work in which he said that 75 percent of the work had been completed and community development schemes have been initiated in the health, education, safe drinking water, and livelihood sectors to benefit the people of the area.

He said that due to the Thar Block II project there have been a positive change in the lives of the local communities and hundreds of livelihood opportunities have sprung in the area.

Speaking on the scheme of Gorano Reservoir, he informed the delegates that the water is being stored in the reservoir since last year which would continue till the construction of the power plant. He said that they have conducted successful pilot projects of biosaline agriculture and, more recently, fish farming on the saline water.

The US representatives appreciated the efforts of the Thar Foundation in uplifting the lives of the local communities and took special interest in the Biosaline agriculture owing to its importance in the Thar’s backdrop, which has been introduced so far as water-scarce region.

They also planted Neem tree saplings in the Ansari Green Park as contribution to the company’s Green Thar campaign. They also visited New Senhri Dars Resettlement Village as well an under-construction Thar Foundation School being built for 1000 children. Asim Saeed of EPTL and Muhammad Idrees, Ubaid Alvi, Dr Ashok Bakhtani, and Syed Kashif Raza of SECMC accompanied the delegates during the visit.