Senate body briefed on ongoing water and power projects

Says subject of sea intrusion should be included in Vision 2025

Senate Standing Committee on Planning, Development & Reforms during its meeting heard from Ministries of Planning and Development and of Water and Power regarding funds and allocation of different ongoing projects by the government.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Senator Col (r) Tahir Mashhadi at the Parliament House on Thursday. The committee, in the first step of hearing all the ministries regarding the development projects, held a briefing of the Ministry of water and Power and was given a list of all the ongoing projects with details of funds allocation, work completed and order of priority. The committee gave suggestions for making the projects environmentally sustainable, profitable to local population and economically viable.

The committee also adopted the report of its sub-committee on the subject of sea intrusion and land erosion in the coastal areas of Pakistan. The convener of the sub-committee Senator Dr Karim Ahmed Khawaja briefed the committee on the visit of the sub-committee to the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan and explained the major recommendations presented in the report.

The sub-committee has recommended that the issue of land erosion be taken up in the next meeting of Council of Common Interests. It has also recommended that the subject of sea intrusion should be included in vision 2025. The committee noted that this report is just a start and the Ministry of Planning and Development has to make sure that all stakeholders are invited and heard on these matters.

Senator Saud Majeed, who is also a member of the Prime Minister’s Special Committee on Planning and Development, assured the committee that this report will be taken up in the meeting of the special committee.

The committee ratified the name of Mohsin Aziz as member for Pakistan Institute of Development Economics. His name was nominated by the Senate chairman.