September 3, 2003	Wednesday	Rajab 5, 1424

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RAWALPINDI, Sept 2: The second phase of the Khanpur Dam Water Supply Project is unlikely to be completed due to unavailability of funds.

The project was to be completed by December but the pace of work shows it might go well beyond mid-2004. This was told in a meeting held at the cantonment board office here on Tuesday.

Those who attended the meeting included member planning division Shahid Iqbal Rana, Brig Tariq from CC Engineer 10 Corps, joint secretary defence Shaukat Nawaz Janjua, Director Military Lands and Cantonments (Rawalpindi region) Faizur Rehman, station commander Brig Hamid Khalil and other officials of the cantonment.

Cantonment Executive Officer Kh Iftikhar Mir and Brig Tariq briefed the participants on different aspects of the project.

The meeting was informed that phase-1 of the project had been completed at the cost of Rs180 million. The second phase has been estimated to incur expenses up to Rs510 million. This phase includes works like laying of pipeline networks and construction of an overhead tank. About two-thirds of the total amount for this phase was to be provided by the federal government whereas Rs170 million fell in the share of Rawalpindi Cantonment.

But the civic body has been passing through financial constraints and unable to pay this amount. The meeting was told that a request had been made to the federal government for release of the amount.

The meeting was also told that the third phase had been estimated to cost Rs665 million. The PC-1 of the scheme is ready and work is likely to be initiated next year. In this phase, works like laying of pipeline network and construction of overhead and underground tanks would be carried out.

Khanpur Dam water will be supplied to areas like Saddar, Gawalmandi, Dhoke Charaghdin, Dhoke Kashmirian, Lalazar and some other localities where no water supply network exists.