Chairman of the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs Senator Saifullah Abro has called on Power Minister Sardar Awais Leghari to investigate alleged financial irregularities by the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) in the 765kV Grid Station project at Islamabad West.
According to a news report, the project, financed by the World Bank, has raised concerns over a Rs1.28 billion discrepancy that Senator Abro claims was added outside the provisions of the original bidding process.
In a letter to the power minister, Senator Abro, underscored that the irregularities were uncovered during committee reviews of foreign-funded power sector projects. These reviews focused on processes such as tendering, contractor evaluations, and project progress.
The 765kV Grid Station contract was awarded to M/s NWEPDI-TBEA (JV) in May 2024, with the lowest bid set at Rs33.6 billion. However, an additional Rs1.28 billion was later added for taxes, despite this amount being excluded during the bid opening and contrary to approvals by the NTDC Board in March 2024.
Senator Abro pointed out that NTDC officials and its board admitted during a committee meeting in December 2024 that adding the tax amount was a “mistake” that led to significant losses to the national exchequer. The senator alleged that this action violated bidding provisions and lacked transparency, further compromising the integrity of foreign-funded infrastructure projects.
The committee expressed serious concerns over the NTDC’s failure to maintain transparency and accountability throughout the project’s handling.
Senator Abro has urged the power ministry to recover the additional Rs1.28 billion, hold those responsible accountable, and strengthen governance measures to prevent further discrepancies.
