He said that Pakistan is yet at mining stage where coal gasification is not possible this time. Planning Commission, which is not an executing agency, had conceived a pilot project of 'Thar Coal Gasification', which created differences between federal and Sindh governments.
Sources said that Sindh government had strongly resisted and warned Planning Commission not to table it again on the agenda of Central Development Working Party (CDWP) of Planning Commission for consideration. They said that after resistance by Sindh government, the Planning Commission had said that the scope of the project had been broadened to include other coal deposit areas of the economy and there was a need to modify the title and scope of the project.
Subsequently, the Planning Commission changed the title of the project and renamed it as 'Creation of New Processing Facilities (for handling and purification of Coal Gas (HPCG) produced by underground Coal Gasification in any Coal field in Pakistan'.
In the modified PC-1 of the project, it was proposed that the scope of the project would not be limited to district Tharparkar and be broadened to cover coal deposits in other areas so that other coal deposits of Punjab, NWFP, Balochistan, FATA, NA and AJK can be explored. Sindh had also questioned the role of the Planning Commission as executing agency of the project.
The project, titled 'Creation of New Processing Facilities (for handling and purification of Coal Gas (HPCG) produced by underground coal gasification' was approved in the CDWP meeting held on April 30, 2009. The aim of the project was to create new processing facility for handling and purification of coal gas produced by underground coal gasification located in Tharparkar Sindh. The proposed modifications in the title and location/scope of the project were approved and PC-1 would be modified accordingly. Total cost of the project is Rs 490.480 million including foreign exchange component of Rs 79.700 million.