K-P Assembly discovers problems with Dir power projects

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly’s Standing Committee on Energy and Power has finished looking into four unfinished Mini and Micro Hydropower Projects (MHPPs) that started in 2014 in the Upper Dir district, Shangara, Derai, Berari, and Sarafu. They sent the provincial government a full report.

The committee discovered major problems with the building, such as using cheap materials and taking a long time to finish.

The committee’s study says that there were major problems with civil works, such as water channels and retaining walls that weren’t built well. The committee has suggested that these buildings be rebuilt with the right materials, that the bad machinery put in during Phase I be replaced with high-quality foreign equipment, and that the contractor who did bad work be made to pay for the damage.

It also told the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO) to give a clear timeline for finishing all of the unfinished projects and said that Phase II monies may not be used for Phase I projects until these problems are fixed. The committee also told PEDO to use the Rs190 million that had been withheld from the contractor’s payment to finish the projects and to send them regular updates on their progress.

The probe started with a query by JUI-F MPA Rehana Ismail in the Assembly on December 30, 2024. This caused the committee to attend three official meetings. A group of committee members also went to Upper Dir to check on the sites at Derai Hattan, Shangara, Berari, Sarafu, Kalkot, Siah Shringal, Dogra Paeen, Mina Dog, Panakot, and Asherai.

The Derai Hattan project was not working for three months during the inspections, and the materials utilized were not up to par. Temperature changes have produced fissures at the Shangara facility, which led to demands for repairs right away. In Sarafu, a lot of machinery and tools were stolen, but no FIR was filed. During the tour, the committee team couldn’t get to the Berari project.

The water channel work in Kalkot was still not done, and the machines needed to start making power had not been sent. The 2022 floods devastated the Siah Shringal Phase I project, and construction stopped because of a land dispute that meant that alternate land was never given. The local community officially took over the Dogra Paeen project, but it is still on hold because of a personal dispute involving a local citizen who has blocked access to the property.