The Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources raised serious concerns over Wapda’s prolonged legal battles, land disputes, and the indefinite closure of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project, valued at over Rs500 billion.
Chairing the session, Senator Shahadat Awan reviewed audit compliance reports and highlighted unresolved legal cases and land disputes worth trillions. He stressed that the stalled Neelum-Jhelum project was a major concern for energy production.
Senator Awan noted that some Wapda cases have been pending for 21 years, with no progress over the past 16 years. He added that Wapda is occupying land valued at Rs10 billion, while lawsuits worth Rs298.48 billion, mostly linked to Mangla Dam lands, remain unresolved.
Concerns were also raised over the Rs30 billion Nai Gaj Dam “illegal contract,” currently under NAB investigation. Senator Awan urged new Wapda Chairman Lt Gen Muhammad Saeed to address these audit issues and submit a detailed report.
Other committee members criticized Wapda’s inefficiency. Senator Faisal Rahman questioned the legal team’s lack of progress. Chairman Saeed responded that he had convened meetings in his first ten days to tackle pending cases and digitize records.
Regarding Neelum-Jhelum, senators expressed concern over the closure following the headrace tunnel collapse last year. Officials said a previous tailrace tunnel issue had been repaired, but the project remained non-operational, pending a Prime Minister-led inquiry.
The committee instructed Wapda’s legal team to coordinate with the Auditor General and Ministry of Law to resolve 2015-16 audit cases. They were also asked to report on criminal and PAC-related matters in the next meeting.