23 February 2005	Wednesday	13 Muharram 1426

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 22: The federal government has taken note of slow pace of work on eight major water sector projects launched under Wapda's 'Vision-2025 Programme' during the last three years, sources in the Planning Commission said.

The sources told Dawn on Tuesday that the commission was currently finalizing dates for a meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) to take steps for speeding up execution of projects worth Rs165 billion.

The NEC, headed by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, should have met in the first week of January but its meeting has been delayed and is now expected to be held in a fortnight, the sources added.

The NEC had decided last year to meet twice a year to review the pace of progress and remove hurdles or divert funds. The sources said the NEC would be given a comprehensive presentation on the progress and implementation status of these projects and the issues hampering their completion.

The timely completion of these projects would have a strong bearing on the government's proposed move to announce the construction of a big dam in the near future, the sources said.

The Rs12.8 billion Gomal Zam dam project has so far achieved only 11 per cent progress both in terms of physical and financial implementation. The project should be completed by June 2006 under the original schedule.

The Rs64 billion Mangla Dam raising project has achieved about six per cent physical progress. Work on the Rs5.8 billion Mirani dam project is moving satisfactorily and has achieved about 50 per cent physical progress and about 36 per cent financial progress. The project should be complete by June 2006.

The Rs2.1 billion Satpara dam project, with a completion date of June 2007, has so far achieved about 12 per cent physical progress and less than 30 per cent financial progress.

The Rs18.9 billion Rainee Canal project, which is scheduled to be completed by September 2008, has so far achieved the physical and financial progress of about seven per cent and three per cent.

Similarly, the Rs1 billion Sabakzai dam has so far achieved the physical and financial progress of about 12 per cent and 14 per cent. Its completion date is December 2006.

Likewise, the Rs31.5 billion Kachhi Canal project which is scheduled to be completed by June 2008 has so far achieved about five per cent progress. The Rs31 billion Greater Thal canal project, whose completion target is June 2008, has so far achieved about nine per cent physical and financial progress.