IN a major development, massive three billion tonne coal deposits have been discovered in Tharparkar.
The discovery was made during exploitation at Thar Coal Field Block-1.According to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, the discovered reserves are equivalent to five billion barrels of crude oil.
Hence, the discovery is worth hundreds of billions of dollars.This has come at a time when the international prices of fuel are sky rocketing and our electricity prices are also going beyond the reach of common man.
It is unfortunate that we ignored and delayed the exploitation of Thar coal.
Since the coal in Thar is indigenous and abundant, had it been used timely, we would not have been faced with the energy shortage at present or their soaring prices.
Whilst with the Chinese cooperation, some coal power plants have been installed; it is time to fully exploit the potential of this precious reserve which will prove to be a consistent and reliable source of energy.
According to experts, Thar coal is as good as its counterparts elsewhere in the world in terms of properties.
With better management and policy, this asset can be used for the economic wellbeing and development of the country.
Whilst ensuring environment protection measures, it must also be ensured that the local people of backward Tharparkar district also benefit from it.
Besides ensuring that they get job opportunities in the coal related projects, other basic facilities such as that of education, skill development and health should also be provided to them.
God Almighty has blessed this land with immense treasures.It is only a matter of bringing them to use.For decades, we have used in our homes the gas that was discovered in Sui.
We will also suggest the government to accelerate the process of oil and gas exploration as only one major find can change the fortunes of this country.
At the same time, we should also move forward to exploiting the Reko Diq which has one of the largest copper and gold reserves.
