ISLAMABAD: The government has turned down a proposal of the Ministry of Water Resources for conducting third party validation of Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project (NJHPP).
This proposal was rejected during the Planning Commission’s Central Development Working Party (CDWP) meeting, arguing that an inquiry commission was already constituted to probe the multi-billion rupee cost of the NJHPP that had failed in achieving the desired results. The NJHPP could be cited as a classic example on account of cost and time overrun, as its cost escalated from Rs34 billion to over Rs550 billion. It has now surfaced that the project had miserably failed but nothing so far has happened on the issue of rolling any heads responsible for it.
The CDWP was held on Friday under the chairmanship of the Federal Minister for Planning, Ahsan Iqbal. During the meeting, eight important development projects were cleared, covering essential areas of the national economy.
During the session, the CDWP approved four projects worth Rs10.551 billion. Additionally, four major projects, worth Rs256 billion, were recommended for further consideration by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec).
In the Education & Training sector, two revised projects were reviewed. The forum recommended the revised “Prime Minister’s Pakistan Fund for Education” worth Rs14,000 million to Ecnec.
During deliberations, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Ahsan Iqbal stressed that the project must revert to its original concept. He emphasised that the core objective is to provide scholarships and Qarz-e-Hasna to support top-talented needy students pursuing higher education in strategic fields such as IT, AI, science, development economics, water resources and mining which are critical for Pakistan’s future development. He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s initiatives for education sector are aimed to create opportunities for less privileged.
The forum further directed the Ministry of Education that the modified PC-I be submitted to the Planning Commission, as per DCPC directions, before being forwarded to Ecnec.
The second revised project, “Construction of Graduate Block in NCA Lahore” worth Rs1,607.314 million, was also approved by the forum, which will enable country’s premier art education institution to expand its programmes. He said, developing creative industries as one of the drivers of country’s exports in goal of Uraan Pakistan.
Two projects from the health sector were presented. The “Expansion of Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology and National Institute of Heart Diseases (AFIC-NIHD), Rawalpindi” worth Rs12,948.434 million was recommended to Ecnec. Forum approved the project with the direction that sponsoring agency should approach the Ministry of Finance and EAD for alternative sources of funding as the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) has been significantly reduced in size over recent years and is under severe stress to meet funding needs of many high priority national projects.
The second project, the revised “Punjab Family Planning Program” worth Rs4,282.350 million, was approved by the forum. *Minister Iqbal underscored the critical need for provinces to exercise devolved responsibilities fully. He expressed profound concern over Pakistan’s lagging social indicators, citing the country’s status as one of only two nations worldwide still affected by polio in embarrassing and we can’t grow with population growth rate of 2.55 percent, and stressed that all social sector programmes must be results driven to make meaningful impact.
Regarding Transport & Communications, the revised “Karachi Urban Mobility Project (Yellow BRT Corridor)” worth Rs178,592.836 million was recommended to Ecnec. The project is proposed to be financed through a World Bank loan, contributions from the government of Sindh, and private sector participation. Approving the project, Minister Ahsan Iqbal expressed concern over the lack of progress during the past six years and directed that the project’s Cost Sharing Ratio (CSR) be reviewed and presented to Ecnec with updated details.
In the Water Resources sector, the forum approved the “Project Readiness Financing (PRF) for Punjab Water Resources Management (PWRM)” worth Rs1,673.328 million. This initiative is designed to enhance water resource governance in Punjab and will be jointly financed by the Asian Development Bank (96.5 percent) and the government of Punjab (3.5 percent).
Additionally, the forum approved two other significant projects. The “Hosting Community Support Program (HCSP)” valued at Rs2,988 million, presented by the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan, States & Frontier Region, will focus on solarising schools and healthcare facilities while providing essential education infrastructure. Furthermore, a revised project from the Power Division, “Upgradation/Extension of NTDC’s Telecommunications & SCADA System” worth Rs50,374.200 million, recommended to ECNEC for further consideration. This project is proposed to be financed through the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and NTDC’s own resources.
The approvals and recommendations made during today’s CDWP meeting reflect the government’s commitment to strengthening strategic infrastructure and human capital development across Pakistan. Deputy Chairman Ahsan Iqbal emphasised that public funds come from taxpayers, and government officials are accountable for ensuring every rupee is spent responsibly for the nation’s benefit.
