International Ozone Day: PM’s plan to meet energy crisis

KARACHI: Harnessing nuclear energy is essential if we are to meet the growing energy requirements of the country, said Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. Addressing an award ceremony on International Ozone Day on Friday, he said that the government would unveil an ‘Energy Saving Plan’ to address the current fuel crisis.

The PM said that Pakistan was committed to enforcing the Koyoto Protocol, and the government was doing its best to eliminate the use of substances that harmed the ozone layer.

Aziz stressed the importance of empowering the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to eliminate environmental pollution from the country. He said that a modern research centre had been established, under the leadership of Dr Ashfaq Ahmed Khan, the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of Pakistan, to deal with the threat of environmental pollution.

He urged the promotion of CNG as an alternative to diesel and petrol and stressed the need to streamline the traffic system for fuel conservation. Aziz called upon industrialists to cooperate with the government and conform to the standards laid down by it to reduce pollution, and urged the media to initiate a countrywide awareness campaign.

In his address, Dr Ishratul Ibad, the Sindh governor said that the provincial government was working on energy conservation projects such as the introduction of CNG buses, a circular railway and electric trains, and a mass-transit system for Karachi. Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim extended his support to all non-government organisations working to protect the environment and ensured them of the government’s unconditional support.

Dr AA Qureshi, a renowned environmentalist, was awarded for his services in the field of environmental protection. agencies

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