MANSEHRA, April 29: To overcome the energy crisis in the country, Wapda has asked hydropower companies to expedite work on their projects, Dawn has learnt.

The previous government had launched three hydropower generation projects in far-off areas of Hazara at an estimated cost of Rs40 billion, but the projects could not be completed on time due to the law and order situation and the October 2005 earthquake.

Sources said the Water and Power Development Authority had directed the companies working on Allai Khurd, Khan Khurd and Basham hydropower projects to expedite the work to ensure their early completion.

They said the three hydropower projects were scheduled to be completed in 2007-2008, but due to the deteriorating law and order situation in the province and the earthquake, the projects would now be completed in 2011.

Work on the Allai Khurd power project was suspended on Nov 7, 2007, when 187 Chinese engineers and other workers left the area and shifted to Islamabad following the launch of the Swat operation. The work was restarted last month after deployment of FC, police and Wapda’s own security personnel at the site.

The Ding-Fung Electric Corporation of China had launched the project in 2003 and it is now scheduled to be completed in 2011, instead of 2007.

When contacted, project’s chief administrator Mohammad Aslam Khan confirmed that the company had received directives from Wapda to speed up the work to complete the project before 2011. He said Wapda chairman Shakeel Durani was due at the site on April 23 for inspection and meeting the company engineers, but he could not make it for some reason.

Mr Aslam said following Wapda’s directives, the company had increased the working timing from 18 hours daily to 24 hours and now the project would be completed one year ahead of the scheduled time, in 2010.