The meeting was attended among others by governing body's vice chairman, Additional Chief Secretary (Development) Munawar Opel, members Secretary Coal and Energy Development Authority Ajaz Ali Khan, Special Finance Secretary Najamul Saqib Siddiqi and Director General Sindh Coal Authority Mumtaz Ali Qureshi.
Sources told Business Recorder on Friday that it was discussed in the meeting that the officers and staff working on the sites of the project should be given special food allowance. It was opined that in presence of project allowance justification for granting food subsidy needs to be elaborated.
The federal government's rules support hardship allowance in addition to project allowance and to attract best human resources in remote location like Mithi and the special food subsidy would help attract right people, the sources quoted Dr Samar Mubarakmand while responding in the meeting. Finally, it was proposed that the officers would be given at least Rs 300 per day while Rs 200 for the other staff.
In this regard, the Coal and Energy Development Department would float a summary for the Chief Minister for seeking approval of food allowance as hardship allowance during field duty by officers and officials, they added. The main objective of the project is to demonstrate the production of electric power from Syn-gas through underground coal Gasification, they said, adding that no body had done coal Gasification in the country earlier.
Dr Mubarakmand had done many experiments on scientific lines on Thar coal reserves through available data and proved that Thar explored deposits are low in ash and sulphur, which could be used for power generation and underground Gasification. The gas so produced ie Syngas would be utilised to run the power plants of the country to overcome the persisting electricity shortage, the sources said.