CM wants CRBC Project transferred to KP government

PESHAWAR: A meeting on the implementation of the Chashma Right Bank Canal (Lift-cum-Gravity) Project was held at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad on Thursday, with Chief Minister Sardar Ali Amin Khan Gandapur presiding.

According to a handout issued here, authorities from relevant provincial and federal departments attended the meeting. The participants discussed various matters related to the implementation of the CRBC project and unanimously decided to float tenders by July of this year.

They directed the authorities concerned to ensure that all essentials are completed well in time for this purpose. It was decided that the project would be executed according to the modalities already decided between the federal and provincial governments.

The federal government would provide 65 percent of the total project cost, with the remaining 35 percent to be borne by the provincial government.Additionally, the meeting decided to allocate Rs20 billion in the development programme of the next fiscal year for the implementation of the project.

Briefing about the various aspects and salient features of the project, officials said the federal government had also committed to allocating Rs10 billion for the project in the PSDP of the next financial year. Once completed, the project will irrigate 2,86000 acres of barren land, which would increase agricultural production, create job opportunities, and pave the way for agricultural self-sufficiency in the province, they said. The chief minister termed the CRBC Project indispensable for the food security of the province and emphasized on its importance for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the entire country.

He said that the implementation of the project has been delayed significantly, and further delays were unacceptable. He stated that the provincial government would prioritise funding for projects that generate income.

Gandpaur directed the authorities concerned to negotiate with Wapda to transfer the CRBC Project to the provincial government. It was also decided in the meeting to initiate another project to irrigate an additional 90,000 acres of land in the southern districts. The chief minister instructed the authorities concerned to commence work on the proposed project without any delay.