By Our Correspondent: Expressing serious reservations over the Panjgur and Gish Kaur Storage Dam projects, the Senate Sub-Committee on Less Developed Areas has warned that blocking main rivers could displace entire populations and cause massive wastage of national wealth due to cost overruns.
Convener Senator Jan Muhammad Buledi, who chaired the meeting at Old PIPS Hall, Parliament Lodges, Islamabad, said the cost of Panjgur Dam has jumped from Rs 18 billion to Rs 23 billion, while Gish Kaur Dam cost has skyrocketed from Rs 11 billion to Rs 44 billion.
Buledi said Panjgur Dam could affect the entire population of Panjgur district by blocking its main river and damaging traditional Karez system, while Gish Kaur Dam does not justify its cost against its benefits. He directed authorities to conduct a fresh review of both projects and submit comprehensive reports from SUPARCO and WAPDA in the next meeting.
The strong remarks came during a detailed briefing on the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan Package.
The Planning Commission informed the committee that it is working on 138 projects – 131 ongoing and 7 new – with an approved cost of Rs 1984.3 billion. Rs 193 billion has been allocated for Balochistan in the current financial year.
The Ministry of Water Resources said 18 water sector projects have been approved – 13 executed by the Balochistan government and 5 by WAPDA. Their total cost is Rs 369.3 billion with Rs 16.9 billion allocated this year. 51 water projects have been completed in Balochistan since 2010.
Officials said Mangi Dam is 80% complete and its water will be used for drinking purposes. 13 under-construction dams were also reviewed, including Garuk, Awaran, Panjgur, Winder, Shahranik and Gish Kaur dams. The Irrigation Department said law and order issues are delaying completion and extensions will be needed.
On road infrastructure, NHA officials said out of 54 road projects, 36 are being executed by the Balochistan government and 52% of total funds have been allocated for the province. The Prime Minister has directed to complete Karachi to Chaman Highway on priority.
Quetta Western Bypass is being built by a private company, while FWO is working on three sections of N-25 Karachi-Khuzdar. Quetta Bypass is 86% complete, Reko Diq link road is near completion, and Awaran-Hoshab Road is 64% complete.
The Convener noted that FWO usually avoids partially-funded projects and directed to summon Project Directors of Buleda-Prom, Buleda-Bangar and Buleda-Balangi link roads. He also directed special focus on Western Quetta Bypass.
On employment, the Establishment Division said over 4,500 vacancies have been advertised under Balochistan quota and a special cell has been set up to facilitate recruitment. Balochistan has been exempted from the ban on BPS 1-4 recruitments, candidates have been exempted from technical tests and given 5-year age relaxation, with 10% quota for women and 5% for minorities.
The Convener expressed concern over contract appointments in Pakistan Railways and technical glitches in the online application system, where the software does not accept over-age candidates despite the age relaxation. He directed to fix the system so that eligible candidates from Balochistan are not deprived.
