Pakistan, July 13 -- As the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project (NJHPP) remains shut following a tunnel collapse in April 2024, with power generation now unlikely to resume before 2028, the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry's Businessmen Panel (BMP) has said the prolonged delay highlights the urgent need for transparent investigations into technical failures, improved execution of strategic hydropower projects and accelerated investment in low-cost renewable energy to ease inflationary pressures and revive industrial competitiveness.

The BMP Chairman and former FPCCI President Mian Anjum Nisar said the prolonged outage of the Rs500-billion-plus project has deprived the country of nearly 1,000 megawatts of comparativel...