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Dasu Hydropower project: WAPDA signs two contracts for relocation of KKH and access road
* Contracts are signed between WAPDA and China Civil Engineering Construction Company
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ISLAMABAD: In what can be termed a significant development for implementation of the first stage of Dasu Hydropower Project with generation capacity of 2160MW, the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) on Monday signed two agreements for relocation of Karakoram Highway (KKH) and construction of Right Bank Access Road in the project area.
The construction work on the project would start as soon as possible. The contracts were signed between Wapda and China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) in a ceremony held at the Wapda House, said a press release.
Dasu Dam project General Manager and Project Director Haji Muhammad Farooq and CCECC Director General Asia Oceanica Li Shiquan signed the contracts on behalf of their respective organisations. Wapda Chairman Zafar Mahmood, Members of the Authority, CCECC Acting President Hao Xizhong, CCECC Assistant President Wang Xiangdong and Dasu Project authorities were present on the occasion.
The contract Dasu-KKH-01 worth Rs14.538 billion relates to relocation of 25-kilometre long stretch of KKH. The contract is scheduled to be implemented in 546 days. The two-lane relocated stretch will be constructed at a higher altitude with the design standard prescribed for KKH. With construction of this strip, the passage to the mechanical area and access to the dam site will be bypassed so as not to hinder the construction activities. Most importantly, the people will also get hassle-free quality road service.
The second contract namely Dasu-RAR-01, amounting to Rs2.713 billion, is scheduled to be implemented in one year. This 12-kilometre long road will be constructed on the right bank of the River Indus from Komila to Seo Dam site. At the moment, there is no proper road access except a jeepable track. The construction of the two-lane access road will not only enable the project authorities to initiate work on camps and proposed vocational training institutions but also provide thousands of the adjoining areas with an all-weather quality road facility.
The district administration is currently busy in land acquisition for Stage-1 of Dasu Hydropower Project. The project authorities have, however, said that process of acquiring land is slow, and expressed apprehension that implementation on two contracts as well as completion of Stage-I of Dasu project will suffer a delay if the pace of land acquisition is not accelerated.
The project authorities said that taking notice of slow pace of land acquisition, Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawja Asif, in a letter, requested the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister to speed up the land acquisition process. They said that the KP governor has also directed the district administration to accelerate the pace of acquiring land for Dasu project.
It is important to mention here that the federal government is implementing 4320MW Dasu Hydropower Project in two stages. The World Bank is financing Stage-I of the project with an IDA Credit of $ 588.4 million and an IDA PCG of $ 460 million. Upon completion, the first stage will contribute more than 12 billion units of cheap, affordable and environment-friendly electricity to the national grid. The project will not only add a sizeable quantum of low-cost electricity to the national grid but also provide relief to the consumers by reducing power tariff. To cap it all, the project will usher in a new era of socio-economic development in the far-flung areas of KP.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk