Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed the formation of an urgent committee to reactivate the Neelum-Jhelum hydropower project, which halted power generation last month. This directive came during a meeting held at the PM House to review the project’s status.
Officials reported that power generation was reduced on April 29, 2024, due to a pressure drop in both the right and left headrace tunnels (HRT), leading to a complete stop of operations by May 2, 2024. Shahid Khan, the former federal interior secretary and head of the investigative committee, presented a preliminary report, highlighting the project’s closure has resulted in significant financial losses for the national exchequer. He noted that the current fault occurred in a rock burst zone.
The meeting revealed that during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in 2021, there was a marked decline in power generation from the project due to abnormal pressure drops in the HRT, but this issue was not addressed and was reportedly suppressed. It was pointed out that no repairs were undertaken during the PTI’s tenure, exacerbating losses due to “criminal negligence.”
The investigation also identified defects that had emerged in 2021, which caused power generation to halt in 2022 due to faults in the tailrace tunnel (TRT). Additionally, geophysical and seismic factors were overlooked during the construction, and proper concrete lining of the HRT was not completed.
PM Shehbaz directed that the investigation report regarding the recent closure be finalized immediately, and he insisted on identifying those responsible for the defects and taking strict action against them. He expressed anger over the negligence surrounding this crucial power generation project, despite experts warning about design flaws and the lack of a detailed geological survey.
The Prime Minister criticized the failure to conduct third-party validation of the project, labeling it as “criminal negligence.” The meeting included several key officials, such as Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Power Minister Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Jehanzeb Khan, PM Coordinator Rana Ehsaan Afzal, WAPDA Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Sajjad Ghani, and other high-ranking officials.
