PESHAWAR — The federal ministry of energy has expressed severe concern over unresolved administrative bottlenecks halting the construction of the strategically vital 765-KV Dasu transmission line project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Warning that the delays threaten long-term national energy security, the federal government has sought immediate intervention from provincial authorities to resolve the crisis.
This development follows explicit reservations raised by the World Bank during a recent performance review meeting. Consequently, the federal additional secretary has dispatched emergency correspondence to the KP government demanding rapid structural corrections.
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World Bank Flags Four Critical Institutional Bottlenecks
According to official correspondence, the global lending institution highlighted that the slow pace of execution risks missing critical project timelines. Therefore, the federal ministry has isolated four core issues requiring immediate executive action from the provincial administration:
- Land Disputes and Compensation: Authorities must immediately clear land acquisition hurdles and streamline pending compensation payments to local property owners.
- Community Welfare Delays: Executing agencies need to accelerate community development and welfare programs along the transmission transit corridor.
- Forestry Clearances: The KP Forest Department must expedite mandatory environmental clearances and outstanding No-Objection Certificates (NOCs).
- Settlement Mapping and Blasting Approvals: Administrative machinery must verify land records and identify owners in unverified tribal territories while also issuing pending NOCs for mountain blasting operations.
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High-Level Emergency Grid Meeting Summoned
To prevent further project stagnation, the federal ministry has requested the KP government to convene an emergency meeting under provincial leadership. This session will bring together the managing director of the National Grid Company alongside all regional and federal stakeholders to map out a definitive operational strategy.
Planners emphasize that because the 765-KV transmission infrastructure forms the backbone of the country’s upcoming power distribution network, any further bureaucratic inertia will directly impact national grid stability.
