Karachi -  Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that after restoration of law and order situation in the city his government has launched a safe city project to keep an eye on suspicious persons and vehicular traffic.

While talking to Ambassador of Norway, who called on him here at the CM House on Tuesday, he said that under the project, more than 10,000 technologically advanced CCTV cameras are being installed at 3,000 different strategically selected locations, including at the entry and exit points of the city.

“The cameras would be connected with a quick response Command and Control Centre established at IG Office from where instructions would be passed on to the concerned authorities then and there. He said that the Command & Control Centre housed in the IG Office would also be equipped with high-powered latest servers with the ability of recording and storage. “The operators on duty at the Command & Control Centre would have no facility to delete footage at any stage and if any attempt is made the system will have the ability to identify the name/ID of the operator/duty officer,” he said.

The ambassador of Norway lauded the efforts of the provincial government for the restoration of peace and winning the hearts and minds of investors who are keen to invest in the port city.  He said the investors were already working on two different renewable energy power plants in Pakistan, including wind and solar.

The chief minister said that Sindh was naturally blessed with a wind corridor, which had the capacity to produce 50,000 MWs of energy. “Solar energy has also been identified to have a similar capacity, particularly in Thatta, Jamshoro, Jhimpir, Sukkur, Jacobabad and other areas of the province,” he added.

The ambassador said that Norway was going to launch technical and vocational training programme in Pakistan.

The chief minister said his government would provide special assistance if Norway started a technical and vocational programme in different trades in Sindh. The ambassador accepted the offer and both agreed to work together.

The chief minister said that Norway also had an expertise in manufacturing electric buses and vehicles. “I want to introduce electric bus service (solar power) in the first phase for universities and colleges and then intra-city service,” the CM said, and added it would help reduce air and noise pollution.

Murad said that the provincial government was working on different BRT bus projects.

The chief minister and the Norwegian ambassador agreed to engage their respective teams of experts for launching such projects and facilities.

They also agreed to promote exchange of cultural and social delegations.