ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Lt. Gen (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa on Wednesday said that Diamir Bhasha hydel power project would create 16000 job opportunities during the construction period of the project.
In a tweet, he termed inauguration of construction work on the project by the Prime Minister Imran Khan a milestone saying it would produce 4500 MW cheap and clean hydel power.
He added that the project would have capacity to store 6.4 million acre feet reservoir that would add 1.2 million acres agricultural land in the country.
Asim Bajwa said during construction of dam, a number of allied industries including steel and cement will also get boost.
Meanwhile talking to APP, President Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Anjum Nisar said that with construction of hydel power projects including that of Diamir Bhasha Dam, the economic growth would witness upward trajectory.
“For last many decades we had been facing energy shortage issue, that has almost been stabilized now, however tariffs of the energy being provided to the industry is still high making them uncompetitive in the regional as well global market,” he said.
The FPCCI President was of the view that several new Special Economic Zones (SEZs) were being built across the country under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which will need more energy in future, so in order to provide electricity at low rates, production of hydel electricity was need of the hour.
He said availability of electricity at lower rates was the basic rule of success of an industry as with expensive electricity, the cost of doing business will also be higher and their items would not be able to compete in the international market.
“Diamir Bahsa Dam will help producing clean and cheap electricity that will also reduce cost of doing business besides making our items competitive across the globe.”
Nisar said the present government was keen to search new markets around the globe for exports but before this the cost of doing business must have to be brought down and exploiting the huge potential of hydel energy in the country was the only solution for boosting exports.
So the project will not only help revival of industrial development but also will increase exports of the country that will also create millions of new job opportunities for the locals.
He said Prime Minister Imran Khan was very keen to exploit the sources of clean and green energy.
The Prime Minister, he said was frequently holding meetings with the business community to make them motivated for boosting economic activities in the country
