The Senate’s Standing Committee on Water Resources on Monday expressed strong displeasure over the absence of the Balochistan chief secretary from the meeting.
The committee decided to file a motion of breach of privilege against the chief secretary. The Balochistan Finance secretary told the meeting that the chief secretary was busy formulating budgetary proposals. The committee, however, stated that the chief secretary should have communicated the reasons of his absence in writing.
The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Senator Shamim Afridi at the Parliament House and was attended by senators Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini, Mir Kabeer Muhammad Shahi, Syed Sabir Shah, Ahmed Khan, Sana Jamali, Gianchand, Agha Shahzeb Khan Durrani, Usma Khan Kakar, the Water Resources secretary, the WAPDA Water member, the Balochistan Finance secretary, the Balochistan Planning and Development secretary and the Turbat deputy commissioner.
The mover of the discussion, Senator Mir Kabeer Muhammad Shahi, observed that the federal government had given a very favourable response and had provided full support in paying compensation to the people affected by the construction of Mirani Dam. “However, the negligence on part of the government of Balochistan in this regard needs to be investigated,” he said.
He also suggested that a comparative on-ground survey of prices of the land should be conducted to determine the correct amount of compensation to be paid to the affected people. “A third-party should be appointed for verification of transparency in the whole process,” he said.
The Balochistan Finance secretary told the committee that there was no shortage of funds. “However, the process is not streamlined. The delay is due to the verification of people who have been affected. At present, there are two or three lists mentioning different people,” he said.
The committee noted that more than four years had passed since the federal government had transferred money to the provincial government. “However, it still lies unused in bank accounts,” he said.
“A total of Rs 560 million compensation has already been paid to 1,645 people. However, Rs 2.94 billion compensation for trees that were cut down is yet to be paid. The area affected comprises three union councils and six villages. The verification of people is not a difficult thing,” the members said.
The committee noted that the money could not be given away until it was mentioned in the PSDP/ADP. “The money is specifically allocated for payment to affectees,” the members said.
The committee asked the Balochistan Planning and Development Department to reconstitute the third-party verification committee and then report to the committee.
The committee also discussed the issue of Gadwalian Dam raised by Senator Syed Sabir Shah. The mover pointed out that despite heavy rains last season the dam could not be filled due to design faults. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Small Dams director general told the meeting that there was no fault in the dam’s design. “Because of the low intensity of rains, the dam could not be filled,” he said.
However, the committee members were not convinced and decided to visit the site. The mover said that the department should review the mistakes made in the project and allocate money for their rectification.
