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'Learn to
Walk before you run' -letter
This is with reference to a news item regarding two big
hydro power projects in district Chitral for which financial assistance
of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has been sought. After a
meeting of project consultants, district heads of line departments and
representatives of NGOs in Chitral district, District Nazim told the
media that with the completion of the proposed projects, 335 MW
electricity would be added to the national grid. One of the 'proposed'
projects is in Terich valley with generation capacity of 105 MW and the
other is at Shoghore with capacity of 130MW. He said that the
feasibility study of the projects would be completed within a year for
which the services of two separate consultant firms had been obtained.
All well said, but we should not forget the ground realities in our
area. Construction of Golen Gole hydropower project is being talked
about for the last twenty years but the most about it we are hearing
today is about the floating of contract tender for servant quarters and
bungalows of the would be staff. Another under construction power house
is the Shishi hydel power station which was to start operation in
December 2008, but we now hear from the MNA that the German consultants
are refusing to come to Chitral for the installation of the power house
equipment.
It is truth
that in our area there is a lot of potential in the hydro power sector,
but who cares and takes solid steps to pull the area out of the curse of
load shedding ? It is a reality that with supply of
uninterrupted electricity not only can we overcome the menace of load
shedding but even we can create jobs and put barren lands under
cultivation, gradually alleviating poverty.
But these
objectives can’t be achieved by adding more ghost power houses into the
list of theoretically under construction hydel power stations. I
think we should first ensure the proper management of existing power
stations, completion of the already started projects and refurbishing of
the ailing power station of Chitral town before talking about ghost mega
projects.
Bashir Hussain Azad,
Chitral.
22 Feb 09.
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