Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal has told both the federal government and the Gilgit-Baltistan administration to speed up work on a major solar energy project. The initiative costs Rs24.9 billion and will add 100 megawatts of distributed solar photovoltaic power across the region.
In a recent meeting of the Prime Minister’s Committee on development issues in Gilgit-Baltistan, the minister said energy remains the biggest problem facing the area. Long power cuts have hurt daily life, schools, hospitals, businesses and tourism. He stressed that the region cannot wait any longer for reliable electricity.
The project includes both rooftop solar systems and larger utility-scale solar plants. It also covers the needed transmission lines and access roads. Ahsan Iqbal directed that all these parts—solar panels, transmission work and roads—should move forward at the same time instead of one after another. He asked the Gilgit-Baltistan government to start work right away on the roads and transmission lines that fall under its responsibility.
To keep quality high without slowing progress, the minister ordered independent third-party checks to run alongside the actual construction. He also called for better coordination between federal and local departments so that paperwork and other delays do not hold things up.
Officials noted that other power projects in the region, including the Naltar and Hanzel schemes, are already advancing. The new solar plan forms a key part of efforts to give Gilgit-Baltistan cleaner, more dependable electricity and reduce reliance on costly fuel-based generation.
Once completed, the project is expected to ease shortages in districts across Gilgit-Baltistan and support everyday needs as well as economic activity in the mountainous region.