Non-locals in dam project irk NA body

Lawmakers claim they were promised local people would be recruited

ISLAMABAD:

A parliamentary committee has expressed concerns over the recruitment of non-local employees in the Gomal Zam Dam project by WAPDA and irrigation department.

The panel also expressed its concern about shifting of R E Gomal Zam Dam office about 170kms far from the site.

The issue cropped up in a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on State and Frontier Regions (Safron) on Friday, held under the chairmanship of MNA Sajid Khan.

It directed the sub-committee to visit the site and witness the recruitment figures provided by WAPDA, and submit its report to the standing committee within 30 days.

Sharing details, WAPDA officials told the committee that the dam, which was completed in 2013, generates over 17.4 MW of electricity, adding that the total number of approved posts were 154.

They added that out of 10 employees hired on a contractual basis, nine employees were local. Additionally, there were four local employees working as daily wagers.

However, during the session, MNA Jamaluddin pointed out that it was lamentable that jobs were being given to those who did not belong to the area. “The dam is built on our land, which we provided free of cost, yet locals are being kept deprived of its benefits,” he added.

“Those who are working on the dam mostly belong to Punjab and other areas of K-P, while we were promised that local people would be recruited,” he regretted.

The committee appointed a sub-committee with MNA Gul Dad Khan as the convenor to examine the issue of non-provision of jobs to residents and other issues related to the Gomal Zam Dam.

MNAs Muhammad Jamalud Din and Saleh Muhammad will be members of the sub-committee.

The committee also discussed in detail the issues of admission and scholarships for the students from erstwhile FATA in medical and dental colleges.

The committee observed the absence of the President Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) during the last three meetings.

It expressed dissatisfaction with the National Medical and Dental College Admission Test (NMDCAT) conducted by PMC, suggesting that every province may be allowed to conduct these tests in accordance with their syllabus.

The committee emphasized PMC to ensure implementation of the cabinet decision, in later and sprit, made in its meeting held on March 2, 2017.

In this regard, the committee directed Secretary Safron to hold a meeting with all the stakeholders and resolve the issue on priority and submit its report in the next meeting of the committee.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2021.