MANSEHRA: The Chinese company, which had suspended work on 4320 megawatts Dasu hydropower project following the death of 13 people including nine Chinese workers in a bus blast on July 13 this year, is going to resume the work on Monday (today).

“The security of Dasu project area has been substantially improved by Wapda and the site work will be resumed gradually from October 25, 2021,” said a mobilisation notice issued by China’s Gezhouba Group of Companies to its Pakistani engineers, workers and other staffers on Sunday.

The Pakistani staffers said that according to requirements of the site work all those, who worked with the CGGC before, were informed through the notice to get ready to return to work.

“The specific return time of every staffer will be determined by telephone call from Chinese leaders of the departments,” said the notice. The staffers were also asked to bring with them the coronavirus vaccination and non-criminal record certificates while workers belonging to Dasu area should get medical certificates from the local clinic.

The resumption of work on the World Bank-funded project could only be possible following continued talks between the Pakistani team led by Wapda Chairman Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain and CGGC.

“There have been 18 rounds of talks between Wapda’s negotiation team and CGGC and Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong also participated in some of them to ensure an early resumption of work on this multibillion dollar power project,” said sources.

The government had deployed army’s bridges in Kohistan following the Dasu bus explosion that would escort Chinese engineers and workers to work sites and respective camps via Karakoram Highway.

The World Bank’s two separate teams, which visited Upper Kohistan and inspected the explosion site and met with the Chinese engineers and workers last month, had also sought appropriate security measures for the peaceful execution of the project.

ROAD: Torghar district development advisory committee chairman Laiq Mohammad Khan inaugurated Soray Ashary Shingle road.

“This road would link dozens of villages with the district headquarters,” Mr Khan told the gathering after inaugurating the artery.

He said that Torghar, which was given the status of a settled district in 2011, was deprived of basic health, education, road and other infrastructure but he got approved mega development schemes for it.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2021