Skip to main content

AJK likely to get Rs12bn annually as net hydel power profit

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to treat Azad Jammu and Kashmir on a par with Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in terms of net hydel power profit, and according to rough estimates, AJK is expected to get about Rs12 billion per annum.

The AJK government has prepared a summary and is moving it to the federal cabinet since the federal government has principally agreed to pay net hydel power profit to AJK, said Additional Chief Secretary for Planning and Development Department Dr Syed Asif Hussain while talking to a group of Islamabad-based journalists who visited Muzaffarabad the other day.

Currently, AJK gets merely 15 paisa per unit as water usage charges from Mangla dam; KP and Punjab get net hydel profit of Rs1.10 per unit from Tarbela dam and Ghazi Barotha hydel power project, respectively. The payment of profit from net hydel power to AJK may further increase when the Neelum-Jhelum power project is included.

Since AJK is not part of Pakistan under the Constitution, the state is not entitled to receive share from hydel profit. However, considering it as an issue of justice and equality, the federal government has agreed to give equal share to AJK on a par with KP and Punjab. Since AJK had no representation in the National Finance Com­mission, Council of Common Interests and Indus River System Authority, no benefit was given to AJK, he said.

Official says Islamabad will treat Azad Jammu and Kashmir at par with Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

According to Dr Hussain, AJK is significantly contributing electricity to the national grid and the entire electricity produced in AJK is transmitted to the national system. After Mangla and Neelum-Jhelum, the Patrind hydel power project is producing electricity. Two more power projects are coming up in AJK in the private sector — 140MW Bong and 84MW downstream of Mangla by Bong. Karot, Gulpur, Kohala and other power sector projects are coming up. In all, 20 hydropower projects are in the pipeline in AJK, he said.

Under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), two new projects will be set up in the power sector in AJK, with the capacity of producing 2,000MW of electricity. These are 1,200MW Kohala hydropower project and 700MW Karot hydropower project. The total electricity demand of AJK at every given time is 350MW, while the rest of electricity is being imported. Feasibility on another power sector project having the capacity of 974MW was ready for financing, the additional chief secretary said.

He disclosed that the federal government had cut the development budget of AJK when allocations under the Public Sector Development Programme were reviewed in Islamabad recently. The size of AJK development programme was Rs25.2bn, and after the cut, it has now been curtailed to Rs20bn. Despite financial difficulties, for federal government, it was not a big deal to adjust a cushion of Rs5bn to Rs7bn for a bigger cause.

According to the additional chief secretary, the development of AJK is not only for the people of AJK, but this is also a trigger for the people of Kashmir on the other side of the border to know how people are living here. Together, Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK should be made model areas because of CPEC involvement.

Dr Hussain said the AJK government had submitted a proposal to the federal government for a link road to AJK under the CPEC. The proposal has been approved by the Joint Cooperation Council. The project called ‘M4’ will link Mansehra with Muzaffarabad via GT Road with Mangla and Mirpur.

AJK will also have a shorter route if a tunnel is constructed with the federal grant to link Shontur Pass with Rattu. A road between Sanji and Astore already exists. The AJK prime minister has been given a briefing on this project, he said.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2018



from The Dawn News - Home http://bit.ly/2EW4eop
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Trump says he urged team to ‘slow’ COVID-19 testing

US President Donald Trump said Saturday he was encouraging health officials in his administration to slow down coronavirus testing, arguing that increased tests lead to more cases being discovered. The president has claimed falsely on several occasions that surges of COVID-19 in several states can be explained by greater numbers of diagnostic tests. At his first rally since the outbreak forced nationwide shutdowns in March, Trump told the crowd in Tulsa, Oklahoma that testing was a “double-edged sword.” The United States — which has more deaths and cases than any other country — has carried out more than 25 million coronavirus tests, placing it outside the top 20 countries in the world, per capita. “Here is the bad part: When you do testing to that extent, you are going to find more people, you will find more cases,” Trump argued. “So I said to my people ‘slow the testing down.’ They test and they test.” It was not clear from Trump’s tone if he was playing to the crowd, who ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Rouhani calls Imran, discusses resumption of trade

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iran on Wednesday discussed full resumption of bilateral trade, which was halted last month because of the Covid-19 pandemic. “The two sides stressed the need to reactivate borders and border markets and strengthen trade ties by following health guidelines,” a statement issued by the Iranian presidency on the telephonic conversation between Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Dr Hassan Rouhani said. President Rouhani had called the prime minister for Ramazan greetings. Border trade between the two countries was suspended after a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC), held on March 13, decided to close all borders because of the pandemic. Islamabad partially relaxed the restrictions on April 21, allowing the import of certain food items and provision of petrol and diesel to the border areas. Cargo traffic from Iran was allowed for three days every week. Cargo movement between the two countries takes place through five border crossings — Taftan...
Post a Comment
Read more

Today’s outlook: Sindh CM discusses reopening markets with PM Khan

Here are some of the stories we are expecting to follow today (Thursday): Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah will take Prime Minister Imran Khan into confidence over reopening shops and markets across the province. The reopened markets will have to follow SOPs. Sindh Transport Minister Awais Qadir Shah will discuss SOPs with transporters for resuming public transport in the coming days. The meeting will be held at the Sindh Assembly building at 1:30pm. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority has proposed a price cut of Rs20.68 per litre for petrol in its summary. Imam-e-Kaaba Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais has said Masjid Al Haram and Masjid Al Nabawi will be reopened for worshipers soon. He said the Kaaba is being sterilised using latest technologies. Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar will head various meetings during his visit to Bahawalpur. As of Thursday, Pakistan has reported more than 15,500 confirmed coronavirus cases. ICYMI: An amendment to the National Accountability Or...
Post a Comment
Read more