Minister orders to ensure foolproof security for CPEC’s Dasu Hydropower Project

Lahore: Federal Minister for Water Resources Moonis Elahi has directed the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) to ensure a foolproof security arrangement in collaboration with relevant stakeholders at the site of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)’s Dasu Hydropower Project where several Chinese workers were killed earlier this year leading to temporary halting of work,

Chairing a meeting of the 4,320-MW project’s steering committee, Elahi said that Dasu Hydropower Project was being constructed on the Indus River and the project would help to lower the overall cost of energy generation in Pakistan, benefiting millions of energy users by making electricity more affordable for households and productive sectors, such as manufacturing and agriculture.

High-level officials of the World Bank (WB), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, the ministry of energy, and Wapda also attended the meeting.

The steering committee was briefed that 4185 out of 5051 acres of land had been acquired by the district administration and land acquisition collector Dasu for the WB-funded energy project and directed to complete the acquisition of the remaining 866 acres by June next year.

The WB representatives also expressed their satisfaction that the project authorities and district administration had removed the bottlenecks in resuming the work at the Dasu Hydropower Project after a tragic terrorist attack.

Work on the energy project was halted following the death of 13 people, including nine Chinese workers, in a bus blast on July 14.

Taking notice of the pending resettlement dues of affectees of Dasu, Elahi directed the district administration and WAPDA to resolve the issue within three months.

He also reiterated that the rightful demands of the local residents of district Kohistan should be met immediately, as per the relevant rules and policies.

The project would also contribute to the socio-economic development of the communities in Dasu and surrounding areas of the Upper Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he added.