MUZAFFARABAD: As an earlier award of the contract sparked debate, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government will float fresh tenders for a 48MW Jagran-II hydropower project worth Rs7 billion, located at the run of Jagran Nullah in the northeastern Neelum valley.
The AJK Power Development Organisation (PDO) board of directors approved the re-tendering of the project. The board directed the PDO to carry out the re-tendering process on a fast-track basis so that 68 million euro soft loan, pledged by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), could be secured.
Heading the board, Minister In-Charge Chaudhry Mohammad Yasin said, “The process should finish within six months in a transparent manner so that the contract is awarded to some reputed international firm for execution and completion of the vital project in time.” The debarment followed an investigation by the WB’s Integrity Vice Presidency (INT) into allegations of sanctionable practices involving the company in a hydropower project in Africa and a road project in South East Asia, according to a statement still available on WB website.
