February 11, 2007	Sunday	Muharram 22, 1428

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MUZAFFARGARH, Feb 10: A committee set up to probe into the Taunsa Barrage breach has failed to complete the task despite a passage of 26 days.

Irrigation Minister Amir Sultan Cheema during his visit to the barrage site on February 3 had told reporters that the committee would complete the inquiry within two or three days.

Work on the Taunsa Barrage Remodelling Project was disrupted on Jan 15 when a 90-foot breach developed in an embankment, and the water also swept away another embankment, besides the construction machinery owned by the companies. The loss of machinery was estimated at Rs60 million. The irrigation secretary had ordered a probe into the matter on Jan 16.

Multan irrigation chief engineer Iftikhar Bhutta, one member of the two-member inquiry team, told Dawn the committee would complete the task in 10 days. About the reasons delaying the task, he said that Dera Ghazi Khan irrigation chief engineer Muhammad Hafeez should be consulted to ascertain the reasons.

The DG Khan chief engineer could not be reached despite several attempts to contact him on telephone. Project manager of the barrage site Chaudhry Akhtar, however, said the inquiry was a waste of time as the breach was a calamity and nothing more. Official sources, however, said that irrigation officials would be taken to task as they had not informed construction companies to take precautionary measures against the rising water level in the Indus River.

A team of the World Bank also visited the site on Friday and inspected the work.

The recent rains disrupted the work on the Taunsa Barrage and the work had been shut for the last two days. Descon representative Captain Hamayun (retired) said a one-day delay in work would cost Rs2 million to the construction companies.