ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): The Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources expressed serious concerns over the indefinite closure of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project (NJHP), valued at over Rs500 billion.
The committee, chaired by Senator Shahadat Awan, reviewed the audit compliance reports concerning the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda).
It highlighted decades-long unresolved legal cases, land disputes worth trillions, and the halted Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project.
Regarding the NJHP, 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.
Moreover, 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 Rs 10 billion, while lawsuits worth Rs 298.48 billion, mainly concerning Mangla Dam lands, were still pending in courts.
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.
