Private contractor to run Malakand III power station

The Board of Directors of Sarhad Hydel Development Organisation (Shydo) on Saturday decided Rs 525.046 million bidding for the contractors to run Malakand hydropower station for a period of five years. The meeting of the board was held with Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani in the chair at Frontier House.
It also decided to advance 10 percent after formal signing of the agreement with the company concerned. The amount would be adjusted against monthly billing of the company. The board empowered Malakand-III Project Director to hire the services of best experts from the market through transparent mechanism for preparation of counter-claims and review payment and measurements.
The meeting also approved 20 percent project allowance for the Shydo staff working on the Malakand-III project. The meeting decided to tackle matters hindering investment in hydel sector in the province. The meeting was told that 12 km long water channel and five tunnels were being completed by the end of the current month and added that payment would be cleared once the machinery was installed at the site.
The Chief Minister said that contractors responsible for causing delay in the completion of the project would be blacklisted and would not be considered for next projects. He directed payment to landowners whose land has been acquired for the project.
The Chief Minister asked the Board of Directors to thoroughly review the progress made and submit a detailed report in this regard. The Chief Minister directed for a complete security plan for the Chinese working on the site. The matter, he said, had been taken at a highest forum and additional deployment had been made for the safety and security of the Chinese working in the Malakand-III project.
Akram said that the project would go a long way in reducing the energy crisis in the country. He said his government had held an investment conference in the province to persuade the potential investors to come to the province and invest in the hydel sectors and offered them unmatched incentives.