Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday directed to form a committee on an urgent basis with respect to reactivating the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project.

The prime minister was chairing a meeting to review the progress of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower project at the PM House.

During the meeting, he was informed in a detailed briefing that on April 29, 2024, due to the pressure drop in the right and left head race tunnels of Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project, there was a reduction in power generation and on May 2, 2024, power generation from the power plant was completely stopped.

Neelum Jhelum plant shutdown for physical inspection

A preliminary investigation report was presented in the meeting by former Federal Interior Secretary Shahid Khan, the head of the investigation committee investigating the recent faults in the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project.

He told the meeting that the closure of the project is causing a loss of millions of rupees to the national exchequer.

It was informed in the meeting that the place where the current fault occurred was the rock burst zone.

The meeting was further informed that in the year 2021 due to abnormal drop in pressure in the headrace tunnel, a significant decrease in power generation was seen from the project but this abnormal change in pressure was ignored and not reported. “The matter deliberately suppressed.”

It was further informed that no repair work was done regarding the failure of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project in 2021, which continued to increase the losses. “It was a criminal negligence.”

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Defects in Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project in 2021 are also being made part of investigation report, the meeting was informed, adding that power generation suspended in 2022 due to fault in tailrace tunnel of the project.

Geophysical and seismic factors were also ignored in the construction of Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project and adequate concrete lining of head race tunnel were also not done.

PM Shehbaz issued the directives to immediately complete the investigation report regarding the recent closure of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project and identify those responsible for the defects in the project and take strict action against them.