QUETTA: The Baloch­istan High Court (BHC) on Tuesday ordered the government to include Babar Katch dam, Nolang dam, Burj Aziz dam, Badanzai dam and Saklij dam in the agenda of the next meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) to be held on March 16.

Hearing a petition filed by Pir Bakhsh, a bench comprising BHC Chief Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel and Justice Nazeer Langove ordered the deputy chairman of the planning commission to submit a report regarding these dams.

The chief justice also ordered to the additional chief secretary planning and development and the finance secretary to release funds allocated under federal development schemes to the departments concerned.

The project director of Nolang dam submitted a report saying that PC-1 of the project had been app­roved by the Communication and Works department, while the federal government had agreed to induct the Command Area Deve­lopment in this project.

The provincial coordinator of the water sector informed the court that Balochistan’s water schemes had not been included in the agenda of the next Ecnec meeting.

The court expressed satisfaction over the progress made by the federal government regarding water projects in Balochistan and adjourned the hearing till March 19.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2020