ISLAMABAD, March 9: The World Bank wants to have a time-bound commitment from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for the settlement of corruption-related issues of the $2.5 billion Ghazi Barotha Hydropower Project which is scheduled to start production in May this year.

The bank has warned the government that unless it failed to settle around 500 Tarbela dam-affected families and complete proceedings against more than 20 persons arrested by National Accountability Bureau on corruption charges in the land acquisition of the Ghazi Barotha project, the bank would not release $52 million, last tranche of the project.

Official sources requesting not to be identified told Dawn that the ministry of water and power will hold a meeting here on March 10 to provide the World Bank and NAB team, led by its chairman, an opportunity to resolve the issue amicably.

The meeting, to be presided over by secretary water and power Riaz Ahmad Khan, would be attended by Chairman, National Accountability Bureau (NAB), head of the resident mission of the World Bank in Islamabad; Chairman, Wapda; and finance ministry officials, besides the chief secretaries of Sindh and NWFP.

“We have written a number of letters to the World Bank to clarify that most of its concerns, including the settlement of affected persons of Tarbela dam and Ghazi Barotha Hydropower Project-related issues, were being addressed. We have also assured the Bank that corruption cases were proceedings were being held in a very transparent manner, but they want a timeframe to settle all these issues,” said an official of the power ministry.

The Bank had asked the government to give comprehensive resettlement plan of 500 Tarbela Dam-affected persons for the disbursement of $52 million tranche for the Ghazi Barotha Hydropower Project. They would be told to appreciate the fact that the settlement was a time-consuming issue, said the official.

The Bank said these sources had told the power secretary early this month in Washington that it would not even consider releasing the $52 million last tranche unless it was given a timeframe for the settlement of all the disputed points.

Wapda sources said that it had already contributed its share and the finance ministry was ready to pay Rs72 million.

Both Sindh and the NWFP have failed so far to honour their commitments.

Sindh had to allocate land, but refused, as most of the 500 unsettled persons did not want to shift from NWFP to Sindh.

The NWFP had been asked to construct 225 flats for the affected persons, but this has not happened.

The power ministry had told the NWFP in December last to start construction of 225 flats in compliance with the commitment made with the Bank, but the it did not obliged.

Chairman Wapda, Lt-Gen Zulfiqar Ali Khan, when contacted said that all the World Bank concerns have been addressed to, and that was why a meeting of all stakeholders has been arranged.