Sindh govt’s lack of interest in Nai Gaj dam irks SC

Top court summons chief secretary on May 23 for explanation

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed its displeasure over the Sindh government’s lack of interest in the construction of the Nai Gaj dam and summoned the chief secretary on May 23 for an explanation. It observed that the provincial government was not abiding by the decision of the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) and the cost of the dam was increasing with each passing day.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Azmat Saeed heard the case of the Nai Gaj dam’s construction.

Justice Saeed asked the Sindh additional advocate general about the location of the dam. The additional advocate general responded that the dam would be built in Dadu district.

SC seeks update from Sindh on Nai Gaj dam

The judge remarked that the Sindh chief secretary should come to the court and record his statement as to whether Dadu required water or not. “The court is aware about the individuals whose farms the Sindh government wants to see irrigated. Would it like the court to name those individuals,” Justice Saeed said.

“The Sindh government doesn’t care whether other people live or die. The chief secretary should record his statement and after that the court would consider reviewing its decision,” he added.

Justice Ijazul Hassan observed that the Sindh government was reluctant to accept the Ecnec decision and the cost of the dam was continuously increasing.

The deputy attorney general informed the court that the project’s initial cost was Rs26 billion and now it had reached Rs46 billion.

In an earlier hearing, the Sindh additional advocate general while objecting to Ecnec’s decision told the court that the provincial government could not pay 50% cost of the project. However, he added, the government had agreed to the Water and Power Development Authority’s (Wapda) proposal on the construction of dam.

Senate body orders inquiry into hiked cost of Nai Gaj dam

Justice Saeed observed that Ecnec had turned down Wapda’s proposal. “It appears that the two federating units have some misunderstanding on the cost of the project,” the judge noted.

The deputy attorney general told the court that Sindh government had to pay 50% of the additional cost. The dam costs Rs46 billion while the Sindh government needed to pay only Rs10 billion, he added. Justice Saeed observed that Ecnec was a constitutional forum and deserved respect.

Nai Gaj is a torrent which starts from Khuzdar, Balochistan and after passing through the plains of Kutch enters Manchar Lake. The Nai Gaj banks remain dry for eight months and receive water in four months during the monsoon season. After Manchar Lake reaches its peak level, water from Nai Gaj often devastates embankments and floods fields.

After inundating farms and destroying houses and crops, the water goes into the sea.

Besides providing continuous flow of fresh water to Manchar Lake, the Nai Gaj dam will also improve socio-economic conditions of the residents of Dadu.