Repeated delays in the completion of Mangi Dam at Ziarat in Balochistan, the purpose of which is to meet the water requirements of the residents of Quetta, have led to a massive increase by over Rs8 billion in its construction cost, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Thursday.
Sources in the Balochistan government have told 24News TV channel that now the cost has exceeded Rs18 billion.
Expressing its concern, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in the Balochistan Assembly has decided to conduct an audit of the project.
In this connection, the PAC has given instructions to the DG Audit to hold a special inquiry.
Sources have informed that during the tenure of late military dictator Pervez Musharraf, the dam was part of Quetta’s Greater Water Supply Scheme.
However, due to widespread corruption in WASA, neither the dams could be built nor the issue of water shortage in Quetta could be resolved, they have revealed.
They have gone on to say that work on the project, which was due to be completed in 2022, kicked off in 2017 at the cost of over Rs9 billion.
The PAC has attributed the increase in the construction cost to PHE’s incompetence.
Reporter: Essa Tarin