Rs. 1.28 Billion Added to Dasu Electricity Project Secretly

The Senate Standing Committee on Economic Affairs has demanded probes by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) into suspected irregularities connected to the Rs. 1.282 billion foreign-funded 765kV Dasu Islamabad Transmission Line Project. During a committee meeting, officials from various departments and stakeholders discussed the project, which saw the addition of the aforementioned sum due to taxes and duties that were initially not considered in the bid evaluation.

The committee accused the Power Division, National Grid Company, and their board members of intentionally overlooking the issue, benefiting from the price discrepancy between the awarded project and the second-lowest bidder. They claimed that this discrepancy led to a significant financial loss for the country. The committee also expressed concerns over attempts to hide the matter during the Departmental Accounts Committee proceedings, noting that the officials present seemed unaware of the true details.

They urged for an independent investigation into possible breaches of laws, procurement rules, bidding conditions, or contractual provisions. Additionally, the committee raised red flags regarding irregularities in the ADB 401B 2022 Lot II A project, specifically concerning ACSR Bunting Conductor, questioning the bid evaluation and qualification process.

They accused officials from the Power Division, National Grid Company, and NESPAK of awarding the contract to the third-lowest bidder, M/s Newage Cables Pvt. Ltd., Lahore, and labeled the procurement process as manipulated, estimating a loss of approximately Rs. 600 million. The committee expressed dissatisfaction with the repeated non-compliance of the Economic Affairs Division and Power Division with their recommendations, emphasizing the need for stronger oversight, transparency, and accountability in foreign-funded development projects to safeguard public resources, maintain the integrity of Pakistan's power sector, and preserve the trust of international development partners.