Nai Gaj Dam: SC asks when the govt will provide funds for project?

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court resumed hearing of the case about construction of Nai Gaj dam in Dadu district of Sindh on Tuesday, ARY News reported.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar heard the case regarding lack of funding in the construction of the dam project, which has delayed the completion of the project.

Chief Justice Saqib Nisar in today’s hearing asked the Additional Attorney General, that the federal government had to release funds for the dam, when the government will release the fund for the project?

The AAG said that the government of Sindh has changed its stance and hesitating over the construction of the project. The CJP said the federal government has to release Rs. 46 bln for the Nai Gaj dam project, while the 51 percent work of the project already completed.

Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan remarked that Rs. 16bln were released earlier.

The government lawyer asked the bench for some time for submission of the report. He said the Sindh government will also have to give its share in construction of the project.

The representative of the Planning Division told the court the government of Sindh says the construction of the dam will not be beneficial now.

Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan said that all details of the project should be provided to the court.

The Supreme Court had accepted a petition for hearing regarding the construction of Nai Gaj dam in September this year.

The counsel of the petitioner, Faisal Siddiqui, said that the dam will not be built on river but the water of the hilly torrents of Kirthar Mountain range will be stored in the water reservoir. The rainwater of the torrents will be stored in the reservoir and will also be supplied to the Manchhar Lake.

The completion of the Nai Gaj dam has been delayed by at least four years and the main reason is said to be insufficient funding for the project.

The construction work on the Nai Gaj dam was started in year 2012 and the project was supposed to be completed by April 2015. But due to the inordinate delay it is now expected to be completed by June 2019.

The delay has led to escalation in the cost of the project from initial Rs16.92 billion to over Rs26bn, as stated in the revised plan of the project.

Nai Gaj Dam is an embankment dam on the hilly torrent of Gaj in the gorge area at the edge of Kirthar Mountains range at about 65 km (40 miles) north-west of Dadu city. The dam’s power station would have a 4.2 MW installed power generation capacity.