Irregularities surface in key water project

Punjab chief secretary tasked with identifying, punishing responsible officials

RAWALPINDI:

The Punjab chief minister's inspection team has identified irregularities in the Asian Development Bank-funded Rawalpindi Water Supply Dream Project One, particularly in Lots 2 and 3, which have a contract value of Rs20.40 billion.

In response, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has instructed officials to complete documentation and refer the matter to the project's steering committee for a decision within three weeks.

Additionally, the chief minister has directed that all foreign-funded projects undergo a review every three months.

The chief secretary has been tasked with identifying responsible officers and taking necessary action against them.

According to sources, the Chahan Dam Water Supply Project's Lot 2 and Lot 3, worth Rs20.40 billion, was initially awarded to the Turkish company Five H Insaat in a joint venture with the Pakistani firm Qasim & Co.

However, contrary to the successful bidding process, the contract was exclusively awarded to the Turkish firm, prompting Qasim & Co to challenge the decision in court.

Upon bringing the matter to the notice of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, she deemed the decision to be lacking transparency and ordered a fact-finding investigation by the chief minister's inspection team within seven days.

The team, led by Chairman Salman Ejaz and members Ahsan Waheed and Ghulam Abbas Warraich, conducted an inquiry and confirmed irregularities in the contract award process.

The findings revealed that due process was not followed, as the project's steering committee failed to conduct quarterly reviews, which is a requirement for foreign-funded initiatives.

Now, the Planning & Development Wing Punjab will assess the matter under the steering committee's leadership and decide within three weeks whether to uphold or cancel the contract.

If the awarded contract is revoked, a new bidding process will be initiated.

It is noteworthy that Lot 1 of Dream Project One worth Rs. 6.36 billion was awarded to China Construction Third Engineering in partnership with a Pakistani firm, aiming to supply 12 million gallons per day from Chahan Dam.

Meanwhile, Lot 4, valued at Rs. 7.19 billion, was awarded to a joint venture of MS Miracon KBDL and Five H Insaat, focusing on upgrading filtration plants, pumping stations, and old water supply lines from Rawal and Khanpur Dams to ensure 24/7 water supply to the Khayaban-e-Sir Syed area.