Govt blames PTI regime for ‘criminal negligence’ on Neelum-Jhelum power project
PM Shehbaz Sharif orders forming committee to reactivate project, confirm accountable for strict motion
- Criminal negligence dedicated by not conducting Third-party validation: PM
- Geophysical, seismic elements ignored in building of project: report.
- Power era lowered in April 2021 and fully stopped in May 2024.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday directed to type a committee on an pressing foundation for reactivating the Neelum-Jhelum hydropower project which fully stopped power era final month.
The premier was chairing a gathering to overview the progress of the project on the PM House.
During the important thing huddle, he was briefed that power era from the project was lowered on April 29, 2024, because of the strain drop in the fitting and left headrace tunnels (HRT) of the hydropower project which was accomplished stopped on May 2, 2024.
A preliminary investigation report was introduced within the assembly by former federal inside secretary Shahid Khan, who’s the top of the committee investigating the latest faults within the project.
He informed the assembly that the closure of the project is inflicting a lack of thousands and thousands of rupees to the nationwide exchequer. It was informed that the place the place the present fault occurred was the rock burst zone.
The members have been additional knowledgeable that throughout the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) regime in 2021, a major lower in power era was seen from the project resulting from an irregular drop in strain within the HRT, nevertheless it was ignored and never reported. “The matter deliberately suppressed,” he added.
During the PTI rule, no restore work was finished concerning the failure of the hydropower project in 2021, which continued to extend the losses resulting from “criminal negligence”, the assembly was knowledgeable.
The investigation report noticed defects which surfaced in 2021 which led to the suspension of power era in 2022 because of the faults within the tailrace tunnel (TRT) of the project.
Geophysical and seismic elements have been additionally ignored within the building of the Neelum-Jhelum hydropower project and enough concrete lining of HRT was additionally undone, it added.
PM Shehbaz issued a set of directives to instantly full the investigation report concerning the latest closure of the project.
He ordered to establish of these accountable for the defects within the project and take strict motion in opposition to them.
He expressed outrage over the negligence in the important thing power era project regardless of specialists stating the defects in its design and non-compliance of an in depth geological survey.
“Criminal negligence was committed by not doing third-party validation of the project,” the prime minister added.
The assembly was attended by Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Power Minister Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Jehanzeb Khan, Coordinator to PM Rana Ehsaan Afzal, Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Sajjad Ghani, former inside secretary, and different excessive officers.
