MANSEHRA: The Chinese company executing the Dasu hydropower project has installed a steel bridge on the Indus River in Upper Kohistan district to ensure speedy work on the 4300 megawatts energy initiative.

“Not only will the bridge’s installation reduce distances but it will also reduce the dependence of our [project’s] vehicles on the Karakorum Highway,” Dasu hydropower project general manager Mohammad Anwar told reporters here on Saturday.

Mr Anwar said work on the power project was in full swing and the steel bridge would be used to transport construction and other materials, workers, dumpers, shovels, loaders and machinery fast from one side of the river to the other.

He said the relevant schemes were being executed along with the main dam project. Work on Dasu project was suspended following the killing of 13 people, including nine Chinese workers, in the last year bus blast. It islikely to begin power production by May 2026.

The World Bank had granted a $588 million direct financing along with a partial credit guarantee of $460 million for the energy project.

TENDERING: Chairman of the district development advisory committee and MPA Nawabzada Fareed has said tendering for the Rs300 million development scheme contracts for hisPK-33 constituency had been completed and work would begin soon.

“The execution of development schemes in Agror and Tanawal areas of my constituency is going to begin at the initial amount of Rs300 million,” the DDAC chairman told reporters in Oghi area here on Saturday.

Mr Fareed said the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government wanted to development playgrounds for youth in all union councils of PK-33 and was offering the required funds for it.

“We have earmarked Rs15 million each for playgrounds in all union councils of my constituency. The money will be spent on land acquisition,” he said.

The DDAC chairman said he had shared details of several proposed development schemes with the relevant authorities for approval. He said the current PTI government wanted to bring backward and neglected parts of the province on par with the developed ones, so it was allocating more and more funds for uplift schemes.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2022