ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee expressed concerns over the overdue expired contract of fishing in Rawal Dam and directed the fisheries department of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Administration to award the contract within a few weeks to avoid loss to the national exchequer.

The subcommittee of National Assembly Standing Committee on Water Resources met with MNA Ali Nawaz Awan in the chair on Thursday.

The committee said not awarding the contract was also promoting illegal fishing in the reservoir.

The ICT had awarded the contract in 2017 for two years against Rs44 million and the contract expired in 2019. So far, a new tender has not been called.In the absence of a legal contractor, residents of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad are deprived of fresh catch.

Lawmakers say not awarding contract is promoting illegal fishing in reservoir and causing losses to govt

“Today, we directed the ICT’s fisheries department to award the contract within a few weeks. Not awarding the contract for the last over two years has paved the way for illegal fishing and depriving the government of revenue,” convener of the committee, Ali Nawaz Awan, told Dawn.

He said the committee will ensure that the contract is awarded as soon as possible. He said the committee was told that due to litigation the contract could not be awarded.

An officer of the ICT administration said due to a court stay the fisheries department was unable to award the contract, adding the ICT administration has now won the case.

The officer said there was no delay on part of the ICT rather the previous contractor, who faced losses due to killing of a large number of fish in 2017, filed the court case.

He said the contractor had been claiming that fish were killed by someone during the peak season, therefore, he faced financial loss and should be given compensation. The officer said the contractor won the case in arbitration but the ICT administration did not accept his plea. Then, he got a stay order from the court.

“Now, after long litigation, we have got the stay vacated and in one week or so we will call a fresh tender,” the officer said.

The committee directed the fisheries department to also promote fishing for individuals.

“The committee directed for easy open individuals/families fishing within 10 days,” the convener of the committee said and added that the committee also recommended to the ICT administration to take steps for water sports in the dam.

Rawal Dam is located in the jurisdiction of Islamabad but it has been supplying water exclusively to residents of Rawalpindi. The Punjab government is custodian of the dam.

Recently, the standing committee and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) made attempts to get two million gallon daily (mgd) water from the dam for the residents of Islamabad.

CDA’s Member Engineering Ayaz Khan, who also attended the meeting, said the Punjab government had showed its willingness to release water for Islamabad. “We have finalised protocol and soon we will receive two mgd from Rawal Dam,” he said.

The CDA has been stating that there is a quota of two mgd to four mgd water for Islamabad from Rawal Dam and till 90s the civic agency used to get water from the dam for Islamabad. But, later the CDA itself stopped taking water from the dam. However, CDA Chairman Amer Ali Ahmed a few months ago had directed the civic agency to get its supply restored from the dam.

Chirah Dam project

The meeting of the committee also discussed the stalled Chirah Dam project. The project was approved in 2009 and is a joint venture of the Punjab government and the CDA with the former being the executing agency.

The construction of the dam was approved by Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) with an estimated cost of Rs5.3 billion. According to its PC-1, the dam was to be completed in 2013. But so far, the the project could not move beyond the paperwork.

The dam is to be constructed on the Soan River near Chirah village and will have the capacity of 15 mgd water to be equally shared by Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Sources in the CDA said currently the cost of the project could be more than Rs30 billion. The committee was told that there is no delay on part of the CDA as it has already deposited Rs851 million in two installments in 2013-14 with the Punjab government for acquisition of land.

The subcommittee was told by a representative of the Punjab government that recently the CDA was asked if it was still interested in the project on 50/50 basis. The CDA’s member engineering said the civic agency was very much interested in the project as it had already deposited Rs851 million.

“Today, we directed the CDA to give its written consent to the Punjab government. Meanwhile, we have directed the concerned authorities to take steps to revive the project as both Rawalpindi and Islamabad are facing water shortage,” the convener of the committee said.

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2021