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Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
K-IV delays
Listen to article Karachi has been desperately water-stressed for longer than many of its citizens have been alive, but after almost a decade of work on a solution that millions had pinned their hopes on, the project is still several years behind schedule. The Greater Karachi Bulk Water Supply Scheme (K-IV) was designed to alleviate Karachi's chronic water crisis by delivering 650 million gallons per day (MGD) from Keenjhar Lake, but the project's first phase, which was supposed to deliver 260 MGD, is still only at 63% completion, with its 2026 deadline hanging by a thread. Incidentally, the first phase was kicked off by the Sindh government in 2016 and was supposed to be completed by 2019; but in 2018, with only 20% of work done, the project was shelved. In 2021, the federal government reallocated the project to Wapda, where it underwent a redesign that resulted in a new completion date of the end of 2025 and a cost estimate increase from Rs26 billion to Rs125 billion. The cost has now risen by another Rs30 billion, according to reports, while completion is almost sure to miss the new 2026 deadline. This is because the 2025-26 federal budget allocated a mere Rs3.2 billion against Wapda's requested Rs40 billion — a 92% shortfall. The Sindh government, which is still involved in the project, has allocated a paltry Rs100 million. Wapda warns that without "uninterrupted funds", the 2026 target is unattainable. Meanwhile, Karachi's water deficit now stands at 550 MGD, meaning that the entire K-IV project would barely cover the shortfall. And even if the K-IV project itself is only slightly delayed, the Sindh government's work on the water supply network has barely started. That work is scheduled for completion in 2029, which is another deadline that is certain to be missed because of a lack of funding. Other supporting infrastructure work is also well behind schedule. It is becoming a foregone conclusion that by the time anyone receives a drop of water through the K-IV project, the city will be even more water-stressed than it is today.
Express Tribune
11-07-2025
- Express Tribune
Five drug pushers sentenced
A court has jailed five criminals including a female drug supplier, with a combined sentence of 46 years in prison and fines totalling Rs485,000. The key criminal Jaweria was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined Rs125,000.0 for her involvement in drug trafficking. She was arrested by Saddar Wah Police in October 2024 after 1.6kg of heroin was recovered from her possession. Another convict, Jahanzib, received a 9-year sentence and a Rs100,000 fine following his arrest by Sadiqabad Police in September 2024, with 1.636kg of cannabis seized from him. Similarly, Muhammad Waris was sentenced to 9 years in prison and fined Rs100,000 after Saddar Beruni Police recovered 1.57kg of cannabis in March 2025. Zarneel, arrested by Dhamial Police in May 2023 with 2.2kg of cannabis, was also sentenced to 9 years in prison and fined Rs80,000. Muhammad Naeem, arrested by Saddar Wah Police in December 2023 with 1.54kg of cannabis, received an identical sentence of 9 years and a Rs80,000 fine.
Time of India
06-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Koradi, Khaparkheda bunds 90% full, fly ash to be given for free
Nagpur: With the ash bunds of Koradi and Khaparkheda thermal power plants nearing saturation, the Nagpur district administration will make the fly ash available for free to entrepreneurs, builders and small industries. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by district collector Vipin Itankar at the collectorate recently. The fly ash is currently stored at the ash bunds at Khasara, Koradi, Waregaon and Nandgaon villages. Officials from the administration said that the ash bunds of both the plants are now 90% full, triggering concern over environmental and logistical challenges. Koradi generates around 12,000 metric tonnes of fly ash daily, while Khaparkheda adds another 7,000 tonnes. "The govt will not levy any charges for ash. It is available free for any entrepreneur or business that can put it to productive use," said Itankar. However, the recipient will have to bear the transportation cost. Fly ash can be used in various applications, particularly in the brick industry, stone quarries, layout filling, and manufacturing of cement pipes and paver blocks. To further encourage utilisation, the district has proposed a financial incentive of Rs125 per tonne for govt and semi-govt agencies that use fly ash for infrastructure projects. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like New Launch by L&T – 3 & 4 BHKs Near Viviana L&T Evara Heights Enquire Now Undo This includes road construction and dam reinforcement work etc. Officials from the Maharashtra State Power Generation Company (Mahagenco) and the environment department were present during the meeting. Chief engineers Vilas Motghare (Koradi) and Girish Kumarwar (Khaparkheda) briefed the collector on the status of storage and disposal. Senior officials emphasised that the distribution will follow the rules and guidelines laid down by the Maharashtra environment department and Mahagenco. The aim is to turn an environmental burden into a resource by enabling its use in development and construction sectors. Entrepreneurs and contractors looking to procure ash can contact the ash utilisation departments at the respective power plants. Executive engineer Praveen Madavi (Koradi) can be reached at 8411957872, and executive engineer Pankaj Dharaskar (Khaparkheda) at 9923585481 during office hours. The administration hopes the move will ease pressure on ash bunds while giving a boost to cost-effective and eco-friendly construction practices.
Time of India
21-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
A year later, govt clears 4 of 6 town planning schemes proposed by PMRDA
Pune: The urban development department has cleared four of the six town planning schemes proposed more than one year ago by the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority, officials said on Saturday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Of the remaining two, the proposal for Maan-Mhalunge — once showcased as a model scheme in 2018 — is still under assessment. The Manjari Khurd-Kolwadi scheme was rejected on technical grounds, particularly in plot demarcation, for which the proposal will have to be re-submitted after making the appropriate changes, a PMRDA official said. The four approved proposals —Autade Handewadi, two in Holkarwadi, and Vadachiwadi — will cover a combined area of nearly 520 hectares. The department is expected to issue a formal notification for the clearances along with a rejection notice for the Manjari proposal, which will span 233.35 hectares, next week. A senior PMRDA official expressed frustration at the prolonged delay in receiving the nod. "We have no idea why it took so long. These are growth centres and should have been cleared much earlier." The delay, he said, impacted the region's pace of development. These six schemes will collectively cover more than 1,000 hectares. Notably, the Maan-Mhalunge proposal, which will cover around 250 hectares, was initially cleared, but had to be revised and submitted again after plots were found to be marked on flood lines. With the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections last year, there was no significant movement on the proposals. However, the recent PMRDA budget included in principle approval for 15 additional TP schemes, signalling a renewed push for planned urban growth. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The schemes are strategically planned along the proposed 82-km ring road to enable organised development across 5,000 hectares in the Pune Metropolitan Region. Residents affected by the delay in implementation, such as Mohit Mehta from Manjari, voiced concerns. "If the scheme is rejected and must be re-submitted, then no project will begin this year. The land marked for development will remain in limbo," he said. In this scenario, builders too delay planning their projects, a Holkarwadi resident said. "If govt approves the scheme, it will benefit the area as infrastructure development can start and the ring road will ensure better connectivity," said a developer who plans to launch his project in Holkarwadi. Officials too warned that further delays in state clearance could stall the disbursement of Central infrastructure funds, thereby affecting project timelines. All the proposed TP schemes will be implemented on the Gujarat model, wherein landowners receive 50% of the developed land back. Central govt committed to funding Rs25 crore for each of these six schemes, while PMRDA allocated Rs125 crore from its own budget. The Vadachiwadi scheme will cover 134.79 hectares, Autade Handewadi 94.44 hectares, and the two Holkarwadi projects 158.19 hectares and 130.78 hectares, respectively.
Express Tribune
17-06-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
K-P fully met IMF targets, says CM
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur said the K-P government has fully met the International Monetary Fund (IMF) targets while it is working on a dedicated provincial power transmission line to provide locally produced electricity to industries at subsidized rates. Over the next three years, 500 MW of hydropower projects will be completed. To support energy needs at the grassroots level, 132,000 deserving households will be provided solar systems free of cost or at subsidized rates, the K-P CM added. He shared these views during a meeting with a delegation of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE), led by its newly elected President Kazim Khan. Gandapur revealed that the province's own revenues stood at Rs125 billion. He highlighted that the current provincial government exercised strict financial discipline and effective monitoring, which enabled the establishment of a Debt Management Fund with an investment of Rs150 billion during the current fiscal year, with another Rs150 billion are to be added in the next fiscal year, generating significant profit for the province. Talking about the province's Annual Development Programme (ADP), the CM noted that the throw-forward of the ADP stood at 13.5 years when his government took over, which has now been reduced to four years. He said that due to poor planning in the past, delays in the completion of development projects over the last 15 years led to cost escalations amounting to a loss of Rs450 billion. The current government has prioritized the completion of ongoing schemes over launching new ones, successfully completing 541 development projects during the past year. He added that the government has presented a balanced and progressive budget for 2025-26 fiscal year. Gandapur said the new ADP will lay the foundation for projects to be completed within the next three years. A total of Rs195 billion has been allocated for the ADP in the next fiscal year, which will be enhanced to Rs250 billion. For the current fiscal year, Rs120 billion was allocated, all of which has been released, followed by an additional Rs35 billion under ADP Plus. Discussing his government's 15-month performance, the K-P chief minister mentioned that Rs72 billion in arrears were cleared across various departments, including public universities.
