Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has ordered the formation of a committee to reactivate the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project and demanded the immediate completion of the investigation report regarding the closure of the hydel power project.
During a review meeting on the progress of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower project here at the PM House, the prime minister was briefed in detail that a pressure drop in the right and left head race tunnels on April 29, 2024, reduced the power generation from the project. The place where the fault occurred was the rock burst zone.
The prime minister was apprised that a preliminary investigation report was presented in the meeting by former Federal Interior Secretary Shahid Khan, the head of the investigation committee investigating the recent faults in the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project.
The meeting was informed that the closure of the project is causing a loss of billions of rupees to the national exchequer. During the PTI regime in 2021, due to an abnormal drop in pressure in the headrace tunnel, a significant decrease in power generation was seen from the hydel project but that change in pressure was ignored and not reported. “The matter was suppressed deliberately.”
The meeting was informed that power generation was fully suspended in 2022 due to a fault in the tailrace tunnel of the project. Geophysical and seismic factors were also Ignored in the construction of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project and adequate concrete lining of the head race tunnel was also not done.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued the directives to immediately complete the investigation report regarding the recent closure of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project and identify those responsible for the defects in the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project and take strict action against them.
He added that experts pointed out that there were defects in the design, and the concrete lining was not done, how unfortunate that such a big and important project was neglected.
He questioned why a detailed geological survey had not been conducted.
Criminal negligence was committed by not doing third-party validation of the project, the prime minister added.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Information Minister Ata Ullah Tararr, Power Minister Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Jehanzeb Khan, Coordinator to PM Rana Ehsaan Afzal, Chairman WAPDA Lt. Gen (retd) Sajjad Ghani, former Interior Secretary Shahid Khan and other high officials.
