Islamabad: (Parliament Times) Sardar Masood Khan, President Azad Jammu and Kashmir, urged the early completion of development projects initiated in AJK. He said that our priority is to facilitate the general population of the region and ensure a high standard of living.
The President made these remarks during a presentation given by the representatives of Changjiang Survey, Planning, Design and Research Company (CSPDR) on the 720 MW Karot Hydro Power Project and allied infrastructure. The meeting was also attended by Mr. Naveed Gillani, Director General AJK-Private Power Cell (AJK-PPC); Mr. Amjad Aftab Qureshi, Director AJK-PPC; officers of the district administration Sudhnoti, Rawalkot and Sensa.
In the briefing, the delegation also apprised the President of the progress on the Karot Hydropower Project and the construction of adjoining roads, highway bridges and the pedestrian bridges connecting existing roads in and around Karot HPP.
President Masood was informed that a new and elevated Azad Pattan Bridge will also be constructed and a raised 7-kilometre road connecting the bridge to the existing Azad Pattan/Goin Nala road will also be constructed. Along with a highway bridge, a 270-meter long pedestrian bridge will also be constructed close to the existing pedestrian bridge in order to facilitate the general population.
President AJK was informed that construction on the new road in Azad Pattan which will be connected to the new Azad Pattan bridge will soon be initiated after issues of land acquisition and design approval at various points are settled. The road and the bridge are expected to be completed and opened for public use within two years. But delays in may occur because of the design and land acquisition issues.
President Masood Khan on the occasion stressed the timely completion of the project and especially the diversion roads. He said that the general public is currently facing a huge problem due to the poor condition of the existing roads and the frequent occurrences of landslides which leads to prolonged closure of this vital road.
They informed that almost all the work on the diversion tunnels have been completed, while construction on the embankment, excess spillway and powerhouse are at various stages of completion. The CSPDR team assured that all work was carried in compliance with international engineering standards and practices.
Highlighting major milestones of the project, they informed that the first unit of the project would be ready for commercial operation by the end of April 2021 and all four units of the project would be fully functional by the end of November 2021. With all four units the Karot HPP would be able to produce an average annual energy of almost 3206 GWh, they informed.
The President said that various projects all over AJK have been initiated which reflects our commitment towards economic progress. He said that we are moving towards a new age of development and we will ensure that the people of AJK reap the benefits of these initiatives. He added that the AJK Government will continue towards providing the best possible health and educational facilities, exploring avenues for job creation and investing in the tourism industry.
