The Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources expressed serious concerns over the prolonged legal battles, land disputes, and indefinite closure of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project, valued at over Rs500 billion.
As per reports, the committee, chaired by Senator Shahadat Awan, reviewed the audit compliance reports concerning the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda). It highlighted unresolved legal cases and land disputes worth trillions, as well as the halted Neelum-Jhelum project.
Senator Awan pointed out that some Wapda cases had been pending for up to 21 years, with no progress in the past 16 years. He mentioned that Wapda was occupying land valued at Rs10 billion, while lawsuits worth Rs298.48 billion, mainly concerning Mangla Dam lands, were still pending in courts.
Awan also raised concerns over the “illegal contract” of the Rs30 billion Nai Gaj Dam, which is under investigation by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). He urged the new Wapda Chairman, retired Lt Gen Muhammad Saeed, to address these audit cases and present a report to the committee.
Other committee members also criticized Wapda’s inefficiency. Senator Faisal Rahman questioned why Wapda’s legal team had not made progress on longstanding disputes. Wapda Chairman Saeed responded that, despite being in office for only ten days, he had convened meetings to address the issues, acknowledging the backlog of cases and the absence of digitized records.
On NAB investigations, Wapda officials confirmed that six cases were under investigation, including two related to Kachhi Canal and two involving Nai Gaj Dam. They clarified that the NAB cases were directed at individuals, not Wapda itself. However, the committee insisted on accountability and requested a briefing from NAB and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on these cases.
Regarding the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project, senators expressed concern over its closure after the collapse of the headrace tunnel last year. Officials explained that the project had previously faced a tailrace tunnel collapse, which was repaired before the latest breakdown. The committee postponed a detailed briefing, as the Prime Minister had already formed a committee to probe the issue and assign responsibility.
The committee directed Wapda’s legal team to coordinate with the Auditor General of Pakistan and the Ministry of Law to resolve audit cases from 2015-16, and to report on criminal and Public Accounts Committee (PAC)-related cases in the next sitting.
