GUJRANWALA: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday inaugurated the first phase of the Rs 58 billion Nandipur power project and called upon certain opposition parties to shun their protesting agenda for the sake of national interests and lend support to the federal government's efforts aimed at attaining fast track progress and prosperity.

The first turbine of the 425 megawatt power project has started producing 95 megawatts of power in the initial stage. The four-unit project would be completed by the end of this year in cooperation with Dongfang Electric Corporation China.

The prime minister told the gathering that it was a matter of great joy that the first power unit of the project had started functioning in the record period of about seven months.

He said that he had already laid down foundation stones of two projects in Port Qasim with power capacity of 1320 MW, besides another coal-fired power project in Sahiwal with the same power generating capacity.

The rapid speed with which the foundation stones of such projects were being laid down and completed had never been witnessed in Pakistan's history, he added.

Agreeing with Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif's views over the gross negligence and corruption of the past which made the machinery of Nandipur project rust at the Karachi port for three years, the prime minister maintained that a notice in this regard should be taken.

He regretted that due to such delay and corruption, loss of billions of rupees was incurred upon the national kitty.

The premier lamented that for completion of national projects loans were acquired and frittered away recklessly.

Prime Minister Sharif vowed to come up to the expectations of the masses which had expressed their complete confidence in the leadership of PML-N.

“We are not only completing projects in the areas where we got massive votes, but also in those areas where others got the mandate,” he said, adding that those who were a raising hue and cry should also know that the PML-N government would continue with the network of development projects throughout the country.

“We will work throughout the length and breadth of the country. We shall work to complete the Lahore-Karachi motorway in the current tenure for which Rs 55 billion have been earmarked for land acquisition,” he resolved.

Calling upon his critics, the prime minister said elements that were protesting should also consider that the government was working for the progress and prosperity of the country through a string of unprecedented projects.

They should support the government in its endeavours for national progress and prosperity and realise whether the country might be left in the darkness or lit up with hope and prosperity, he added.

The premier also referred to the Karachi operation which was initiated to restore the country’s financial capital’s image of a city of lights and said the crime rate there had been brought down.

He said they were on daily basis consulting on how to root out the scourge of terrorism and extremism from the country.

Prime Minister Sharif said his government was working for good governance and stability of democracy in Pakistan but a set of people were bent upon protests, questioning the set-up.

“For God's sake, let the country head on the path of progress,” he added.

He said the government was working upon the Diamer Bhasha dam with a power capacity of 4,500 megawatt for which an amount of Rs40 billion had been allocated four days back for land acquisition.

Work on the Dasu dam located on the Indus River would also generate about 4,500 megawatt of power and both these projects in the northern areas would add 9,000 megawatt altogether to the national grid, he added.

The prime minister also said that during the last 65 years, a total of 23,000 megawatt power had been generated in Pakistan, but a number among the generating units had been closed due to obsolete technology.

He said the government would add 21,000 megawatt to the national grid to overcome the power issue.

Appreciating the fast track progress in Punjab province, the prime minister said that various uplift projects were being completed within few months instead of years.

He said the upgradation of railways was underway whereas a railway line would be laid down from Islamabad to Muzaffarabad.