Project Director of 16 megawatts Nultar power project has said that due to harsh weather condition, construction work of the project could not be continued in the month of December 2024 and work would resume during the month of February 2025, where-as said project would be completed in the month of April 2025. He further said that concrete work of the project has been stopped and it was not possible for the completion of said project during the month of December 2024, he added that compromise would not be made upon the quality of the work. Contract of the said project was awarded during the year 2012, but despite of lapse of more than 13 years, the said project could not be completed and consumers of the electricity in Gilgit city and its suburbs were facing 16-18 hours load-shedding out of 24 hours. Earlier, Finance Minister of the regionalgovernment Engineer Muhammad Ismail had claimed that 16 megawatts power project of Nultar would be completed by end of December 2024 and load-shedding duration would be reduced.
Portfolio holders of the regional government were constantly claiming that government was taking necessary steps to reduce the load-shedding in the Gilgit city and its suburbs, six megawatts Kargah power project would be completed by end of November 2024 and 16 megawatts power project would be completed by end of December 2024 and after completion of both projects 22 megawatts electricity would be included in the system, where-as 3.5 megawatts of Nomal project has been included in the system. But despite of their claims, the consumers of the Gilgit city and its suburbs were facing 16-18 hours load-shedding and routine matters of the consumers have been badly affected and only few hours’ electricity was available to the consumers. It was expected by the consumers that 16 megawatt power project of Nultar would be completed by the end of this month, but the project director of the said project has said that due to harsh weather condition, concrete work of the project has been stopped and it was not possible to complete the project by end of this month and project work would resume during the month of February 2025 and project would be completed during the month of April 2025. It may be permute to comment upon the matter whether the said project would be completed in the month of April 2025 or not as the said project could not be completed for the last 13 years. It was also not clear when the six megawatt Kargah power house would start to generate the electricity and load-shedding duration would be reduced in the Gilgit city, water and power department was required to complete the remaining work/installation of the machinery of the said project on war footing basis. It would be appropriate for the government of the regionto take alternate measures for provision of electricity to the consumers and minimize the electricity load-shedding during the winter season
