Munda Dam: WAPDA accused of Rs400m corruption in project

Planning Commission calls for referring case to NAB or FIA.


Our Correspondent February 18, 2014
The committee directed the Planning Commission to release funds for the dam within a week. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD:


The Planning Commission has said that the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) is involved in corruption worth Rs400 million in Munda Dam project and suggested that the case should be referred to investigation agencies for action against responsible officials.


Briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Water and Power, which met here on Tuesday with Senator Zahid Khan in the chair, officials of the Planning Commission said either the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) or the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) should be asked to probe the matter.

Ministry of Water and Power Additional Secretary Sohail Akbar Shah told the committee that the European Union had objected to the design of the project, fearing floods might affect the dam.

“We can face more destruction than that caused by 2010 floods in case floods hit Munda Dam,” he warned. France would offer financial assistance for the project only after the EU gave approval, he said.

A company has also filed a case against the federal and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa governments for planning to construct Munda Dam, claiming Rs104 billion in damages.

The committee directed the Planning Commission to release funds for the dam within a week. Zahid Khan described the delay in release of funds as a criminal act and stressed that the committee would take action if the money was not provided in the next seven days.

He insisted that the government was not giving any subsidy to domestic electricity consumers and was making money by charging Rs18 per unit. A committee member put the power generation cost at Rs13.77 per unit.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 19th, 2014.

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COMMENTS (7)

Ali Tanoli | 10 years ago | Reply

Crruption will not gonna end untill death penalty is made a law for it in pakistan....

Arslan | 10 years ago | Reply

PMLN for God sake please learn from your past mistakes, please do something.

More than anything people of Pakistan gave you Mandate and you are doing nothing except visiting abroad, joy rides in helicopters, planning to run Metro buses, extending the perimeter walls for Raiwind Palace and appointing your Daughter as a chairperson for youth loan schemes while giving speech against Nepotism.

Wake up Pakistan of people they are draining and sinking there teeth in our hard earned money.

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