Diamer-Bhasha Dam, Kartarpur Corridor: NA body raises serious concerns over construction

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Special Initiatives raised serious concerns on the construction of Diamer-Bhasha Dam and Kartarpur Corridor projects and recommended that the ministry should come up with satisfactory responses and action till the next Committee meeting.

The Committee met with Junaid Akbar in the chair at the Planning Commission, on Monday.

The Committee, unanimously, confirmed minutes of its previous meeting held on February 10, 2021.

The ministry gave a compliance report regarding the recommendations of the previous meeting.

However, the Committee raised its concerns over the issues raised regarding Diamer-Bhasha Dam and Kartarpur Corridor projects, and recommended that the ministry might come up with satisfactory responses and action till the next Committee meeting.

The representatives of the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, gave an in-depth review regarding the ongoing Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) projects of the ministry for the year 2020-21.

While discussing those projects, it was recommended that the ministry ought to ensure that the funds allocated for development projects were not being spent on recurring basis for the same projects indefinitely.

Moreover, it was also recommended that performance audit of some ongoing projects may be conducted to evaluate their feasibility and utility.

The Committee was also briefed regarding the various Special Economic Zones being developed under purview of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

It was also highlighted that there was a lack of co-ordination between the PSDP projects of the Federal Government and the Annual Development Programs (ADP) of the provincial governments especially with regards to ex-FATA areas.

The Committee recommended that the ministry may take measures to bring harmony and coherence in the PSDPs and ADPs for their proper execution and to avoid duplication of efforts.

MNAs Sher Akbar Khan, Shaukat Ali, Syed Faizul Hassan, Nawab Sher, Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, Muhammad Sajjad, Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary, Sardar Muhammad Irfan Dogar, Abdul Shakoor, Sahibzada Sibghatullah, and senior officers from the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives attended the meeting.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021