Breakout of COVID-19 pandemic created hurdles in CPEC projects: PM Imran Khan

• Prime Minister Imran Khan acknowledges slow pace of work on CPEC projects.
• Says it was because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that pace of work is picking up now.
• He was addressing the inauguration ceremony of Matiari to Lahore 600 KV transmission line completed under CPEC.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan admitted Thursday that the pace of work on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects had slowed down, saying that it was because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

But the premier vowed to accelerate the pace of work on projects being executed under the umbrella of the multi-billion dollars CPEC project.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of the new 886 km-long 600 KV transmission line from Matiari in Sindh to Lahore, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the Matiari-Lahore Transmission Line is a state-of-the-art project. The project has been completed under CPEC.

The PM said that the transmission lines are old and power losses are high, due to which even if there is electricity, it cannot be saved.

The increase in line losses puts a burden on the people, he said, hoping that the new project will save electricity.

PM Khan pointed out that the breakout of coronavirus created some hurdles, including the disruption of supply chains, which increased prices of essential commodities. But as the situation is improving, he said progress will again be visible on CPEC-related projects as well as bringing down inflation.

He sad that because of COVID-19, the prices of food items have gone up all over the world. He added that vaccinations, however, are helping decrease the fear of coronavirus.

He said that in the power sector, there are 17% line losses on old transmission lines. Through this project, he shared, line losses will be 4%.

'CPEC has created 75,000 job opportunities till now'

In his remarks, Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar said the present government started construction work on the landmark project.

He said the project is now ready for electricity transmission after a testing phase of six months. He said other projects under CPEC will also be completed on time and expressed the resolve to address the country's power related issues.

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong said the Matiari-Lahore transmission line will realise the safety and reliability of the grid system, optimise energy distribution of the entire country and lower the electricity cost.

The Chinese ambassador said till now CPEC has brought investment of 25.4 billion dollars and created 75,000 job opportunities. He said the project has made significant contribution to the socio-economic development of Pakistan.