Dar visits Jagran-2 Hydropower Project; hails project’s pace

By Ali Imran

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Wednesday visited the Jagran-2 Hydropower Plant being constructed in the Neelum district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

The deputy prime minister was briefed about the progress in the construction of 50MW power plant. It was told that the work on the Jagran-2 project was proceeding as per the plan and would be completed by the year 2025, according to a press release.

Expressing satisfaction and appreciation at the progress of the project, DPM Ishaq Dar promised to take up the matter at the ECNEC to fast-track the approvals through early action. He also met the Chinese engineers and Pakistani team working on the Jagran-2 project.

Dar conveyed the best wishes of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Government of Pakistan for the engineers, technicians and workers employed in the project and assured full support and security of the Government of Pakistan for its timely completion. He expressed confidence that the project would contribute significantly towards electrical power generation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and bring benefits to the local population in terms of employment, education, agriculture, industrial development, and tourism.

The deputy prime minister also made a surprise visit on Tuesday to the Jagran-1 Hydropower Plant in the Neelum district.

He had expressed satisfaction at the smooth functioning of the 30.4 MW Jagran-I which was conceived, approved, and financed during the 1997-1999 tenure of former Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif when Senator Ishaq Dar was the finance minister.