Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister and spokesman of the provincial government Mian Iftikhar Hussain has said the government would take soft loan from the World Bank (WB) to initiate Chashma Right Bank Canal, a mega Public Sector Development Project (PSDP) for irrigation.
Briefing reporters after attending the All-Parties Conference (APC) regarding mega hydel generation project on Monday, he said the government intended to execute the project worth of Rs 61 billion with the assistance of WB and the project in the southern districts of the province would be completed within five years. The APC was held under Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti, in which leaders of the political parties were briefed about various hydel generation projects. Iftikhar said the APC was informed that the prime minister had already formed a special committee upon the issue of Rs 6 billion in head of net hydel profit, but the committee failed to resolve the issue in its two meetings.
The participants of the APC assured their full cooperation and support in this regard and pledged that the issue would be resolved through dialogue and negotiation, saying if it was not resolved, all political parties would devise a joint strategy for the rights of the province. The minister said hydel generation projects of Lavi and Maltan would also be initiated soon and the inaugural ceremony had already been held. Under its 2010-11 action plan, the provincial government would initiate more than twenty short- and long-term hydel generation projects in the province with a capacity of 2,100MW at a cost of Rs 350 billion.
Iftikhar said water discharge of Patrain Hydle generation project would be charged at 42 paisa per unit under the federal hydro policy between Azad Jammu of Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments. Besides, NEPRA had fixed Rs 6.3 for the project that would produce around 147MW of electricity and the project would be completed at an estimated cost of $238 million and would help the province earn Rs 145 million per annum, he explained.
