Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the first turbine of the Nandipur Power Project near Gujranwala on Saturday.
The turbine will add 95 megawatts to the national power grid.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif, and chairperson of the China-based company Dang Fing Electric Corporation, which was awarded the contract for the project, were also present at the occasion.
While addressing the inauguration ceremony, the Punjab chief minister criticised the previous government for stalling the project. He said the power project’s history is an unfortunate one since machinery for the project was rotting at the Karachi Port for three years.
“If the project had been completed three years earlier than the country would not have suffered a financial loss worth Rs165 billion,” remarked Shahbaz.
Expressing similar views to his brother, Nawaz said negligence by the previous government with regards to the Nandipur project was “an unforgivable sin.”
Referring to people who were protesting against development work carried out by the PML-N government, the premier said such people should instead extend a helping hand and stop becoming a hindrance.
“They should see that the government is building Pakistan again,” he added.
At the end of his speech, he announced a three-month bonus for the team who worked on the Nandipur project from the federal government as well as another three-month bonus from the Punjab government on behalf of the Punjab chief minister.
