SC sends Winder Dam bidding case to dispute resolution body

ISLAMABAD: A Supreme Court bench on Wednesday sent the case regarding auction of Winder Dam contract to the dispute resolution committee for decision on the matter, ARY News reported.

A division bench of the apex court headed by Justice Mushir Alam ordered that the committee should decide the matter after hearing the stance of the construction association.

The committee should keep the issue of transparency before it while deciding the matter, the bench said. “The association could bring the matter to the court in case of its dissatisfaction,” the bench remarked.

Earlier, the counsel of the construction firms argued in the hearing that the contract should have been awarded to the bidder having experience of construction of a dam. “The bids of 10 construction firms were rejected and the contract was awarded violating the rules of bidding,” the counsel further argued.

“The government engineer himself admitted that the rules have been violated in awarding the contract,” the counsel said.

The bench which also comprised of Justice Qazi Amin, yesterday heard an appeal of Secretary Irrigation Balochistan against the high court decision on auction of Winder Dam contract.

Balochistan High Court had ordered for an open auction for awarding the construction project of the dam.

Winder Dam, an earth-core rock-fill dam will create gross storage of 36,484 acre-foot water to irrigate 10,000 acres of command area and its power house will generate 300 kW electricity.

Winder Dam project will be constructed at the estimated cost of Rs 15.230 billion. Federal government will finance the project entirely, which would be executed by Irrigation Department of Balochistan government.

The main objective of the project is to provide 50 cusecs assured irrigation water supply to irrigate 10,000 acres of agriculture land round the year.

Winder Dam site located across Winder River about 100 km from Karachi in Lasbela District of Balochistan.