AJK PM briefed on hydropower project

LAHORE: Wapda Chairman Lt-Gen Muzammil Hussain (Retd), along with Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project (NJHP) chief executive officer, had a meeting with Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider to review the long awaited commissioning of Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project.

The AJK prime minister was briefed on successful turnaround of the project highlighting that the project will add significant share of hydel electricity in the national grid of about five billion Kilowatt hours (units) and revenue of Rs 50 billion annually. Significance of the project in the context of Indus Water Treaty and Indian design of creating water shortage by creating illegal storage also came under discussion. 

AJK Prime Minister appreciated the pace of work as well as Wapda’s support in all the community development programmes and emphasized that Wapda and AJK Community Development Department should complete the ongoing project at the fast pace.

The Wapda chairman thanked AJK government and people for their support to the project and reiterated that Rs 2.27 billion has been increased to Rs 5.231 billion for 22 development projects which are under way by AJK government. Efforts by some element misquoting the negative effects of the project also came under discussion and was reiterated that quantity of environmental flows and the needs of drinking water are all being fulfilled in consonance with environment studies.  Neelum Jhelum Hydropower Project after its completion will be an engineering marvel and has contributed in capacity building of engineers in Pakistan.