The Supreme Court stated on Thursday that the money in the dams fund will not be used to repair the damage brought on by recent floods and ordered the auditor general of Pakistan to check the accounts of the Diamer Bhasha dam fund.
The Diamer Bhasha and Mohmand dams execution case was heard by a three-person bench under the leadership of Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial. The auditor general’s office has complete access to the dam’s fund records, the top justice noted.
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the auditor general were instructed by the court to examine the complete record of donations and capital disbursements and look for any inconsistencies in the paperwork.
State Bank representatives told the court that the dam fund now held more than Rs16 billion, but that neither a withdrawal nor an expense had been made from that money as of yet.
The National Bank informed the court that the funds placed in the fund were invested in T-bills and other government securities. Justice Ijazul Ahsan, who was seated behind the bench, stated that the fund contained Rs. 10 billion, which will increase to Rs. 17 billion on Jan. 26.
According to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the Supreme Court’s website contains a list of all donors to the dams fund. He added that he would tell the people which machinery was bought from this fund. He stressed that the dam fund money would not be spent on repairing flood damage.
The Water and Power Development Authority called attention to the transmission wires throughout the hearing. The chief justice stated that transmission lines were crucial to the dam project and requested that the attorney let the court know whether any instructions were required for the money to be released.
The circular debt in the nation, according to the secretary of the Power Division, has reached Rs. 2.6 trillion, and additional growth is anticipated. According to WAPDA’s attorney, Power Division was required to pay the Central Power Purchasing Agency Rs240 billion. He continued by saying that work on dams was hampered because contractors weren’t paid.
Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel, who was also seated on the bench, suggested that perhaps the government’s lack of resources prevented it from making the payment. Additionally, the Wapda attorney told the court that the floods and the security situation had a negative impact on the work being done on dam construction.
The Mohmand dam’s infrastructure was damaged by the floods, but the court was also informed that the funds allotted under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) were also nonexistent. International experts also departed the nation during the Covid epidemic, according to Wapda’s attorney.
