NJHP tunnel collapse costs Rs35bn: Nespak
This was revealed before the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat, which was chaired by Rana Mahmood ul Hassan, here on Friday. Nespak officials informed the committee a tunnel of the Neelum-Jhelum project has collapsed.
Three committees have been formed to inquire into the matter, said Nespak officials, adding that physical damage of Rs35 billion occurred. Further a loss of over Rs100 billion resulted due to lack of electricity generation.
The location where the tunnel is located is 5.5 km below, said the officials, adding that it was being examined that whether the fault lies with the project consultants or the geological conditions of the site.
A briefing was also given by the managing director Nespak on the organisation's performance over the past three years.
The committee was apprised that Nespak has successfully undertaken 4,822 projects both domestically and internationally. Of these, 595 projects were completed internationally in 40 countries, including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros Islands, Dominica, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Yemen, Papua New Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, UAE, Uganda, and Uzbekistan.
Non-availability of NJHP project: Consumers overpaid Rs167.787bn for costly power
NESPAK has also entered into joint ventures with renowned foreign and local firms on a project-to-project and long-term basis, which have proven beneficial to all stakeholders involved. The matter was deferred. The committee directed a list of NESPAK's ongoing projects for review in the next session.
The committee also considered The Cannabis Control and Regulatory Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2025, introduced by Senator Dr Afnanullah Khan.
He explained that the bill seeks to allocate one per cent of the authority's annual fund to corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. These may include the establishment of rehabilitation centres for drug addicts, skill development and employment generation, poverty alleviation, and efforts to promote gender equality and empower women.
It was also presented that the authority shall ensure transparency and accountability in the use of CSR funds, per the rules and regulations to be formulated under the Act. After a thorough discussion, the committee decided to defer the bill. The committee directed the Cannabis Authority to submit its recommendations on the proposed amendments after placing them before its board.
The committee then took up Starred Question No 27, raised by Senator Shahadat Awan in the Senate session held on July 25, concerning the criteria adopted by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority for enforcing roll-out obligations in the absence of a formal regulation or framework regarding right-of-way.
After deliberation, the committee decided to defer the matter and invite the Ministry of Information Technology to the next meeting for a comprehensive briefing on the policy framework currently in place.
The remaining agenda items were deferred due to the absence of members.
The session was attended by senators, Farooq Hamid Naek, Fawzia Arshad, Dr Afnanullah Khan, and Shahadat Awan.
As well as special invitees, senators, Bilal Khan Mandokhel and Sardar Al Haj Muhammad Umer Gorgaij. The committee took up key legislative and oversight matters concerning regulatory frameworks, national development initiatives, and institutional performance.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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