Muzaffarabad: The 969 MW Neelum-Jehlum Hydropower Project, which was undergoing a 20-month-long repair phase at a cost of Rs510 billion, was once again partially shut down.

According to the media reports, the project was restored to full capacity a few days ago.

The hydropower project was shut down for 13 months in July 2022 after major cracks appeared in the 3.5-km Tail Race Tunnel (TRT).

According to the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), electricity from the plant started to be generated again during August and September and on March 29, it reached the maximum capacity of 969 MW.

After a week on April 3, the 48-km-long headrace tunnel suffered a pressure drop and power generation dropped to 400 MW.

It is reported that the project authorities and contractors, with the advice of the WAPDA management, immediately tried to restore the plant with available resources, however the deficit was beyond the estimate, even though power was being generated to the required level.

According to an official, a remote-controlled vehicle at a cost of Rs6 billion needs to be procured from abroad for damage assessment and possible immediate repairs.

He said that the Prime Minister has not been informed about this matter so far, due to the partial closure of the project, critical power units are being lost every day.

Even before this, Rs6 billion was spent on repairing the tail race tunnel, which is in addition to the Rs37 billion energy losses incurred during repairs, maintenance and testing.

WAPDA filed an insurance claim of around Rs43 billion and has already arranged several high-level meetings in this regard, according to reports.

When contacted, WAPDA confirmed the decrease in power generation due to low pressure in the head race tunnel, but refrained from giving the actual reason.

The authority said the reduction in generation to 530 MW is a precautionary measure to monitor pressure fluctuations.

According to the WAPDA spokesperson, the power generation will be increased gradually after further analysis and consultation with project experts.

He stressed that all possible repair measures were implemented during the monitoring, and that the project's 51.5 km tunnel system must be reviewed.

Earlier on March 29, WAPDA had announced that the hydropower plant has reached its full capacity of 969 MW and is providing power based on water availability.

Since commissioning in 2018, the project has generated 19.829 billion units so far, while 1.54 billion units of electricity have been generated since the repair of the tailrace tunnel.

Lahore: The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has issued an alert for more rains across Punjab.

According to Director General PDMA Punjab Ali Irfan, there is a possibility of heavy rain across the province from April 18 to 21.

DG PDMA stated that heavy rains, lightning and strong winds are predicted, while an alert has also been issued to Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), Punjab Police and Civil Defense in this regard.

Irfan Ali added that the PDMA control room is functional 24 hours a day.

Lahore: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Tuesday disposed of petition to provide full security to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on the basis of withdrawal.

According to the details, Chief Justice LHC Malik Shahzad Ahmed Khan heard the petition which was filed by PTI Lawyers Forum President Afzaal Azeem.

The Chief Justice said to the lawyer that your concerns regarding the security of founder PTI are important, your words are not in the air, may Allah improve our country.

Chief Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmed Khan praised Advocate General Punjab Khalid Ishaq for providing proper support to the court, saying that Advocate General is doing a good job.

It is pertinent to note that during the hearing on the petition filed in Lahore to provide full security to the founder PTI in the jail, Advocate General Punjab Khalid Ishaq informed the court about the security arrangements.

During today's hearing, the petitioner's lawyer took the position that one such petition has been filed by Bushra Bibi in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), therefore they are temporarily withdrawing this petition.

Later, the court disposed of Imran Khan's security plea on the basis of withdrawal.

Notably, earlier on March 28, a request was filed by Afzaal Azeem, president of Lawyers Forum, to provide full security in jail to former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

On March 29, while hearing the said application, the LHC directed to check the level of security concerns of Imran Khan.

Earlier on March 7, Rawalpindi Police and Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested three suspected terrorists and saved Adiala Jail from a major disaster.

City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi Khalid Hamdani said that in a joint operation, Adiala Jail has been saved from major destruction. Three terrorists were arrested along with heavy weapons and ammunition, which belong to Afghanistan.

CPO Rawalpindi further said that a map of Adiala jail, hand grenades and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were recovered from the terrorists.

On March 12, Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail was banned for two weeks from meeting all prisoners, including Imran Khan, for fear of being targeted by terrorists.

It was also reported that in the light of intelligence reports, the Punjab Home Department had decided to ban meetings with all the prisoners, including PTI founder, in Adiala Jail.

Later on March 16, security around Adiala Jail was tightened due to security concerns.

Barbed wire has been installed outside the jail and additional personnel have been deployed, gates have been set up on the Adiala road adjacent to the jail, banners banning meetings have also been displayed at the main gate of the jail.

The unauthorized persons and vehicles were not allowed to stop outside the jail, media satellite vehicles were allowed to park within 2km of the jail. The jail officials said that only concerned persons were allowed to enter Adiala Jail.