No K-P-proposed projects land among CPEC

None of the projects sent to planning ministry for inclusion in CPEC entertained

PESHAWAR: The federal government has ignored all the projects proposed by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government for financing under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The K-P government had proposed several projects for inclusion in CPEC, but the federal government did not say yes to any of them, according to the provincial government officials.

“None of the projects we sent to the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms have been included in the CPEC,” said an official who requested not to be named.



The K-P government had sent seven hydropower projects to be constructed in Chitral having a total generation capacity of 1,978 megawatts and costing around $6.9 billion, two grid stations of 500kV to be built each in Chitral and Chakdara (Dir Lower) with total cost of $80 million and a 225 kilometres transmission line, costing $112 million.

K-P has also sent the long-pending Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC) Project along with the project of  Greater Peshawar Mass Transit-Circular Rail and 3-Combined Cycle Gas Turbine power plants -- each having the capacity to generate 225 megawatts electricity to be built in the industrial estates of K-P -- for inclusion in CPEC.

The officials said the K-P government had already signed memoranda of understanding with different Chinese companies for the energy projects.

“None of these projects have been reflected in any meeting minutes nor have they been displayed or put on the website of CPEC maintained by the federal government,” the official said, adding, “Only Suki Kinari hydropower project has been included in CPEC but the project is executed by the private sector.”

The official said the federal government removed the construction of Diamer-Bhasha Dam from CEPC projects and added it created a cushion against including new energy projects in CPEC.



“The federal government did not want to give share in the cushion to K-P. We agitated and then Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi sit with us to discuss the matter,” the official said.

K-P Energy and Power Secretary Naeem Khan when asked about the issue said that the representatives of K-P government, including K-P Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak, chief secretary and other administrative secretaries have been holding rounds of meetings with the planning ministry for the past three days

He added a pre-Joint Coordination Committee on CPEC meeting was also held along with a meeting which was attended by Prime Minister Abbasi himself in which the K-P government had pushed to include its projects in CPEC.

Naeem said after the removal of Diamer-Bhasha Dam from CEPC, 3,500 megawatts space got created in the energy portfolios under CPEC and added that the K-P government agitated to include its energy projects as the federal government was ignoring them.

“The prime minister has directed the ministry of planning to give due share to K-P in the project,” Naeem said, adding the prime minister also directed payment of Rs32 billion of K-P share under the head of net hydel profit which the federal government had not paid since the last fiscal year.

The K-P government expressed its resentment over the feasibility studies of all the projects (in both hard and soft forms) to the ministry of planning on Thursday. Officials also said the additional chief secretary of K-P has sent a letter to the secretary of planning, development and reforms on Thursday in this connection.

“We are trying but still there is no outcome as of now,” said the official, although the K-P energy and power secretary claimed that the prime minister has told the ministry of planning for including K-P projects.