Ahsan concerned over delay, cost escalation in Diamer Basha Dam project
Key takeaways
- He directed the new chairman of Water and Power Development Authority of Pakistan to ensure that the project was managed in a professional manner.
- He further observed that concerns regarding the escalating cost of the project had repeatedly been raised during Standing Committee on Planning meetings since 2020.
- He emphasized that these reservations should be made part of the official record.
Why this matters: local context for readers following news across Pakistan and the region.
Add ARY News on Google AAResize The Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of Pakistan, Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday chaired a meeting of the Central Development Working Party (CDWP).
A revised project related to the Ministry of Water Resources Pakistan, namely “Diamer Basha Dam Project – Dam Part with Reflection of Helicopter Cost,” worth Rs 485.006 billion, came under discussion and was referred to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for further consideration, a news release said.
While discussing the Diamer Basha Dam project, Ahsan Iqbal expressed serious concern that the revised PC-I of the project had not been submitted during the last six years despite a manifold increase in the project cost from the originally approved cost of Rs 480 billion in 2018, which reflected poor project management capacity.