Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) has deposited Rs 12 billion in royalty to the Sindh government accounts and paid Rs 8 billion to the shareholders of the company- which means the government and the displaced persons who are paid Rs100,000 annually. This was disclosed in a meeting held under the chairmanship of Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (Retd) Maqbool Baqar at the SECMC office, Islamkot.
The meeting was attended by Secretary Energy Rehan Baloch, Secretary Health Dr Mansoor Rizvi, Secretary Irrigation Niaz Abbasi, Chairman SECM Commissioner Yousif Siddiue. According to an official statement issued by CM House spokesman, Justice (R) Maqbool Baqar said that he has witnessed the operation of two power plants: the 1320 MW Shinghai Power Plant at Thar Coal Block-I and 1320 MW the Sindh Engro Coal Power Plant at Thar Coal Block-II, producing and adding more than 2640 MW to the National Grid.
CEO of SECMC Yousif Siddiue briefed the chief minister that Thar Coal Block-II has reservoirs of 175 billion tons of coals. The SECM is exploiting 7.6 million tons of coal every year to produce clean and cheap electricity.
The CM was told that Thar Coal Block-II was producing 1320 MW. It was pointed out that 70 percent of the total employees of the plant and mine were local. The CEO told the CM that Thar Foundation was running 23 schools where 5000 students were receiving education, of them 33 percent were girls. Thar Foundation has five health centers with a facility of mobile clinics that have provided medical treatment to more than 60,000 people in the area. Apart from health centers, the Thar Foundation has 17 RO plants in the Gorano area which provide drinking water to the people. CEO Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company told the CM that the SECMC, in which the Sindh govt owns majority shares has deposited Rs 12 billion in royalty to the Sindh government accounts and paid Rs 8 billion to the shareholders of the company- the Sindh government and the displaced persons who are paid Rs100,000 annually and have been accommodated in a Model village.