ISLAMABAD: A legislative body of the Upper House of parliament on Monday expressed serious security reservations over the CASA-1000 project, which will transmit 1,000 megawatts to Pakistan from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan through Afghanistan.
The power will be provided to Pakistan during peak summer season (May to September) and several multi-donors agencies will finance the project. The government of Pakistan would repay the loan taken for the project within the boundary of Pakistan. The four countries, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and Pakistan will repay the loan, which incurred over the infrastructure developed for the project in their respective areas.
These details were provided to the Senate Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Reforms, which held its meeting on Monday in Parliament House, with Senator Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi in the chair.
The senators were of the view that as the transmission line was passing through Afghanistan, where security situation were deteriorating drastically, if some militants disrupt the power supply to Pakistan, the government had to continue the payment of loan to the donors. In such a case when the GoP would receive no power, but had to repay the loan, it would be a burden on national exchequer while the other country may not restore the supply of power to Pakistan.
The senators were of the view that as nowadays the relation between Pakistan and Afghanistan was not so good, therefore such a situation would affect the supply of power to Pakistan. The committee advised the Ministry of Water and Power to consult experts over such a problem and brief the committee over the new development.
Briefing the committee, Ministry of Water and Power Joint Secretary Zafar Abbass said that the idea was conceived in 2008 and after it several meeting were held over the project among the four countries. The project consists of transmission of 1,300MW, in which 1,000MW was for Pakistan and 300MW for Afghanistan. The tariff rate had already been decided and the project approved by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP), and it would require approval from the ECNEC, he said. The bidding process had already been initiated for establishment of the convertor stations, one in Nowshera and the other in Tajikistan.
PPP Senator Sherry Rehman termed the project non-viable as it involved high security risk (passing through Afghanistan).
However, hailing the CASA-1000 as a flagship project, the ministry official elaborated that it would connect Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia to Afghanistan and Pakistan in South Asia through an electricity grid. He said the project would complete in late 2020 or in early 2021.
The committee also discussed the revival of Karachi Circular Railways (KCR). The committee was informed that the operation of the KCR was discontinued in December 1999 owing to poor operational efficiency. Subsequently, encroachment on railway tack, platforms and adjacent areas made revival of the KCR difficult, the meeting was informed.
The JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) offered some assistance for the revival of the KCR but it could not be materialised. Now, the committee was informed that the provincial government of Sindh took the initiative and included the project in the CPEC.
Expected cost of the project was $2.58 billion, however, revision of the PC-I of the project was in process and hopefully, the cost would decline to about $1.9 billion, the members were informed. The KCR would facilitate about 0.5 million passengers. The chairman of the committee was of the view that Karachi was one of the major cities of the world that could not have a mega transit system.
Published in Daily Times, August 1st , 2017.
