ISLAMABAD, June 30: The Water and Power Development Authority has decided to expedite work on the controversial Thal canal project and complete it one year before schedule.

Official sources told Dawn here on Monday that Wapda had revised the completion date of the Thal canal project from June 2008 to June 2007. The change in date has been notified to the federal government. The project will cost Rs30.4 billion.

The Sindh Assembly has adopted two unanimous resolutions against the construction of the Thal canal during the last four months and called upon the federal government to stop the project as it would affect the people of Sindh.

The main objective of the project is to irrigate 1.53 million acres in Bhakkar, Layyah, Khushab, Jhang from the surplus flood supplies of river Indus for 60-90 days during the Kharif season. During the Rabi season water would be supplied through tubewells. The total length of the system is 2,360km, including the main canal and its distributaries.

The sources said the federal government had been informed by Wapda that land was being acquired in the area so that the project could be completed one year ahead of its schedule. It was said that Rs235 million had been transferred to the government of Punjab for acquisition of land.

By April 2003, Wapda had spent Rs360 million on the project which was inaugurated by President Pervez Musharraf on Aug 16, 2001.

Wapda has also informed the government officials concerned that a joint venture of M/s Nespak, NDC and Barqaab, has been appointed project consultants to carry out feasibility studies, prepare detail design and contract documents. Tenders for the Contract GTC-03 opened on Feb 22, 2003, and an evaluation was under process.

An official associated with the project said opposition by the Sindh government and different political parties was uncalled-for. “Who does not know that the Thal canal project was approved by the Indus River System Authority when Sindh had a majority in that body”, he said, adding that there was no justification now to lodge complaints against the project and that a technical issue should not be politicized.

An Irsa official, however, told Dawn that Wapda had not a good record of successfully carrying out water development projects.

He said it was unconstitutional to undertake the Thal canal project without first having certain feasibility study.

“This is a clear policy of the federal government that any project costing over Rs40 million must have its feasibility study ready before the work is started,” he said.

The Irsa official regretted that the project had been launched by spending substantial amount of funds and now Wapda planned to get its feasibility study conducted.