Islamabad: The Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources voiced serious apprehension on Wednesday regarding decades-old unresolved legal battles involving the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), including land disputes amounting to trillions of rupees and the shutdown of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project. Chaired by Senator Shahadat Awan, the committee scrutinized compliance reports on WAPDA’s audit paragraphs, expressing alarm over the extended duration of these legal entanglements.
Some WAPDA lawsuits have lingered for 21 years, with the agency seemingly neglecting them for the past 16, Senator Awan noted. He revealed that WAPDA occupies land valued at Rs. 10 billion, while lawsuits exceeding Rs. 298.48 billion, mostly linked to Mangla Dam lands, are pending in court.
The committee chairman also raised concerns about the allegedly unlawful Rs. 30 billion contract for Nai Gaj Dam, currently under investigation by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Senator Awan instructed the WAPDA chairman to convene an urgent meeting on these audit issues and submit a progress report to the committee.
Committee members echoed these anxieties. Senator Faisal Rahman questioned the effectiveness of WAPDA’s legal representatives, given the lack of advancement in resolving these long-standing disagreements.
WAPDA Chairman Lt Gen (Retd) Muhammad Saeed, in his defense, stated that despite being in office for only ten days, he had already held three meetings on the matter. He acknowledged the absence of records for many WAPDA legal proceedings but affirmed ongoing efforts to tackle the backlog. He also admitted that WAPDA’s records are not digitized but assured that digitization is in progress.
He clarified that WAPDA is not unlawfully holding the disputed property. Compensation had been disbursed to Mangla Dam affectees, who are now pursuing legal action.
WAPDA officials confirmed six ongoing NAB investigations, including two each related to Kachhi Canal and Nai Gaj Dam. The Water Resources Secretary clarified that these investigations target individuals, not WAPDA itself.
Senator Awan, however, pressed for accountability and summoned the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and NAB to the next meeting. He directed WAPDA and the Ministry of Water Resources to furnish comprehensive details of all cases.
Regarding the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project’s closure due to a head-rise tunnel collapse, Senator Awan deferred a detailed discussion, citing an ongoing Prime Minister-appointed inquiry. The committee postponed the briefing until the inquiry concludes.
The committee recommended immediate coordination between WAPDA’s legal team, the Auditor General, and the Ministry of Law to address audit matters from 2015-16. It also urged detailed reporting on all criminal and Public Accounts Committee-related proceedings in the subsequent meeting.