Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has stated recently on a TV channel that work was in progress at the Bhasha dam site. It is not understood that so far 135 km long road has not been built with only six bridges on Indus River to take heavy machinery on the site which was described by late Lt Gen Safdar Butt, former Chairman of Wapda as lacking even a camp site.
A mega dam like Bhasha dam would require 30 thousand engineers and almost double the number of workforce which would need housing and other facilities like transport and food. How could such facilities be provided to a large work force without a living accommodation on or near the dam site?
In fact, the government ought to inform the gullible public by displaying audio video documentary films to show the progress at the dam site as one senior engineer informed me that salaries are being drawn only by people without any tangible work on the dam site which is rather disconcerting news. The government ought to come clear on the pace of the work on the dam site to satisfy the public.
DR MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore