Asian Development Bank (ADB) Vice President Wencai Zhang said in July that the bank would release almost two billion dollars loan to Pakistan during ongoing financial year 2017-18. He said that currently ADB is disbursing around $1.5-$1.6 billion annually to Pakistan. However, the ADB is trying to do more, as the Bank would release nearly two billion dollars in the current fiscal year. The ADB would provide $6 billion to Pakistan under the three-year (2018-20) operation plan. The government of Pakistan is asking us to disburse $2.5 billion annually, said Vice President ADB, who is currently visiting to Pakistan to discuss ADB’s development partnership with the Pakistan’s economic team. He met with Finance Minister, Railways Minister, Planning and Development Minister, Water and power minister and chairman NHA. “In coming years we will continue to support projects and especially infrastructure and road projects as traditionally a lot of projects have been done,” Wencai Zhang said while talking to journalists. Wencai Zhang said that stable political situation in Pakistan is important for reforms and development of the country. Political stability is always important for the economic development of the country. “It will be the government of Pakistan to decide to approach IMF after the upcoming general election. However, the ADB would continue to help Pakistan in reforms in power sector and public sector entities after the general election,” he replied to a question. He appreciated the economic gains achieved by the incumbent government during last four years. He said that Pakistan had completed three years IMF programme, improved macroeconomic situation and achieving higher economic growth. However, he emphasised to continue the ongoing structural reforms to consolidate the economic gains. The country needs to achieve economic growth of 7 percent in next few years, which is achievable, he added. Vice President of Asian Development Bank said that they are exploring social sector for investment. Health, education, and water resource management are so important for the economic growth of the country, he explained. The ADB is currently financing the power sector and public sector entities reforms in Pakistan. “We will see other public sector entities like Pakistan International Airlines and Pakistan Steel Mills if government asks for financing,” said former country director Werner Liepach, who was also present on the occasion. The ADB has supported China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is very helpful in regional integration. He said that ADB is interested to finance the projects of Pakistan Railways. Earlier, Wencai Zhang called on the Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. The Vice President said that development cooperation has expanded between Pakistan and ADB during the last few years, which has resulted in impressive levels of approvals and disbursement of aid from ADB to Pakistan in FY 2016-17.He said that ADB is interested in learning more about the government’s new initiatives, including the Pakistan Development Fund (PDF) and the Pakistan Infrastructure Bank (PIB), with a view to potentially collaborate on them with the government. The Vice President said that the ADB’s recent experience of policy-based lending for reforms in Pakistan has been very successful. Both sides agreed to identify further areas where reforms are required, which may be good candidates for policy based lending. The areas that are being explored in this regard include governance and public sector enterprise reforms. He reiterated ADB’s commitment to supporting development initiatives in Pakistan. The finance minister appreciated the role of ADB as a development partner for Pakistan. He congratulated the Vice President on ADB’s 50th Anniversary, and appreciated the Vice President’s visit to Pakistan to celebrate the anniversary. He appreciated contributions of former Country Director, Werner Liepach, and the progress made in a short time by current Country Director, Ms. Xiaohong Yang. The finance minister said that, after having achieved macroeconomic stability, the government is now focused on achieving higher, sustainable and inclusive economic growth. He said that federal PSDP of Rs. 1,001 billion for FY 2018 is over three times higher than federal PSDP for FY 2013. He highlighted that provincial transfers have increased significantly due to increase in tax collections during the last 4 years, and as a result, the provinces are in good fiscal shape. He said that both ADB and the Government of Pakistan must work together to further strengthen this relationship. He appreciated ADB’s interest in participating in the government’s initiatives, such as PDF and PIB, which will enable mobilization of resources for further infrastructure projects in the country. The finance minister said that the Government of Pakistan will continue to work closely with development partners on initiatives aimed at improving the quality of lives of the people of Pakistan.
Blog
-
CDWP approves 17 Developmental Projects
Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has approved 17 development projects worth Rs178.3 billion. It also forwarded 6 mega projects, including RBOD-I-II and III to the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) for further approval. The approved projects are of transport & communications, energy, water resources, information technology, higher education, physical planning & housing, health and governance sectors. The meeting was chaired by Federal Minister and Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Ahsan Iqbal and was attended by officials from different ministries and provincial governments. The body gave go ahead to Right Bank Outfall Drain I, II and III worth Rs90.2 billion and recommended it to ECNEC for further approval. The cost of RBOD-I is Rs17.5 billion, RBOD-II Rs61.9 billion and RBOD-III Rs10.8 billion. The project was referred by ECNEC to CDWP for revision and reconsideration. The RBOD-II project was reconsidered by the CDWP in March 2017 wherein the financing mechanism of flood component of RBOD-II was discussed in detail. After agreement by the Sindh government to share the flood protection cost (Rs7 billion), the project was approved by CDWP. In transport and communication sector, CDWP recommended three projects of Rs43.2 billion to ECNEC.CDWP recommended CAREC (Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation) Corridor Development Investment Program Tranche-I Projects to ECNEC for approval. The project is part of CAREC Corridor road network 5 & 6 which connects Pakistan up north to China and west through Afghanistan respectively.The Rs24.7 billion Asian Development Bank financed project envisages improving 208 km of N-55 road in three sections including Petaro to Sehwan Section dualization, 128 km, Ratodero to Shikarpur Section dualization, 44 km, including construction of 2 km bypass at Lakhi town to avoid huge cost of land and impacts of resettlements and rehabilitation of existing dual carriageway from Darra Adam Khel to Peshawar Section, 36 km. Construction of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Bridge over Indus with Guide Banks linking N-5 with N-55 including approach roads worth Rs9.8 billion was also approved by CDWP. The revised project envisages construction of 1.2 km and 11.9 meter wide two lanes single carriageway bridge across River Indus, connecting district Ranjanpur (Mithankot), located on the National Highway (N-55) with district Rahim Yar Khan (Chachran), located on the National Highway (N-5). Another project in transport & communication sector that CDWP forwarded to ECNEC for further approval is Rs8.6 billion project for the construction of Chitral – Garam Chashma – Doraha Pass Road (82.5 km). The project envisages construction, rehabilitation, improvement and widening of existing 82.5 km and 3.65 meter wide road to a width of 7.3 meter of Chitral – Garam Chashma to Doraha Pass. The scope of work also includes elimination of major causeways to have all weather road, construction of 10 km new road on other side of Lutkho River for tourist activities with allied facilities & stretches. The project has been taken up as a result of announcement of the Prime Minister during his recent visit to Chitral. In physical planning & housing sector, CDWP approved two projects worth 29.4 billion. In physical planning, CDWP recommended Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Program’ worth Rs27.2 billion to ECNEC. The project includes transforming the selected urban areas of Sailkot and Sahiwal into green, inclusive, resilient and comparative smart cities with improved livability supporting social and economic growth through improved municipal governance, integrated urban planning, improved service delivery, efficient local mobility and climate resilient infrastructure and introduction of IT for city service delivery improvement with the framework of SMART City. The chair recommended cost rationalization for this project to be completed with the support of Asian Development Bank. Similarly, the CDWP also approved the project of Rural Sanitation through Saaf Suthro Sindh (SSS). This Sindh government project of 2.2 billion rupees would be financed by Asian Development Bank. CDWP further approved two projects in information technology sector worth Rs 2.7 billion. It includes e-office (basic common applications) replication at divisions of federal government. The e-office or e-filing system comprising of six modules which were developed as pilot project at ministry of information technology, including internal communications & movement of files, human resource management system, inventory & procurement management system, project management system, finance, planning & budgeting, internal portal. Ahsan Iqbal instructed to ensure CDWP meetings to be held through e-office system in future. Another IT sector project approved includes Pakistan Post Reform Initiatives: Automation of Post Offices. The proposed project will facilitate Pakistan Post and improve public service at its business units. This will also provide value added services including Online Post Stores, Mobile Card Top-Ups through Mobile Companies to Pakistan Post clients in future. Automation of Pakistan Post will improve financial control, ensure accurate assessment of budget estimates, improve customer service, decrease workload on Pakistan Post staff and extend additional facilities to public. The project would be completed through Korean soft loan. The Planning Commission Forum approved Rs104.7 million energy sector project ‘Hiring Consultancy Services for Third Party Validation of Neelum Jhehlum Hydropower Project. The project will broadly include validation of actual cost incurred under various phases, assessment of cost of various activities as per awarded contracts and evaluation, assessment of delays and cost overrun thereof, in order to determine value for money. Minister Ahsan Iqbal instructed to prepare ToRs to ensure realistic and clear evaluation of the project. The meeting also approved three projects in health sector worth Rs1.2 billion which include strengthening of health services Academy, Islamabad, establishment of safe blood transfusion services project phase II, KP and establishment of medical device development center (MDDC) at NUST. The MDDC project envisages of development of medical devices including stents. CDWP approved a Rs 2.4 billion agriculture project promotion of olive cultivation on commercial scale in Pakistan besides giving go ahead to Economic Affairs Division project ‘Strengthening of External Debt Management worth 64 million. In education sector, CDWP approved three projects worth Rs9.7 billion, including Award of Scholarship to Students from Gwadar, Science Talent Farming Scheme and mega project ‘Award of Allama Muhammad Iqbal 3000 Scholarships to Afghan Students’. Under the project Award of Scholarship to Students from Gwadar, students will be facilitated to get higher education at Pakistan’s universities and learn Chinese language abroad. Under the project Award of Allama Muhammad Iqbal Scholarships to Afghan Students’, 3000 students would be facilitated to get higher education in Pakistan’s universities. The project also envisages short professional training to Afghan civil servants.
-
KP raises fresh concerns on corridor
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has conveyed concerns to federal government about several aspects missing from the draft of long term plan (LTP) of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, including western and northern routes, Sino-Pak trade imbalance and water resource management. LTP 2017 is a national plan approved by both Chinese and Pak governments and would remain effective till 2030. Its’ short and medium term aspects would be operative until 2020 and 2025, respectively. Officials said LTP draft was shared with KP government seeking comments and suggestion on plan’s various aspects. However, the government was given only 5 days to review the plan and offer comments. Time allowed for envisioning holistically and offering comprehensive comments on LTP for such a significant ‘game changer’ with far reaching effects is extremely limited. A federal government official said this while high lighting concerns over plan’s missing links. KP government shared its 11 page interim response with federal government. The response, offers critique of various parts of 30 page LTP. In its LTP appraisal, KP government pointed out that plan’s connectivity chapter was silent about western route being undertaken by federal government and northern route (three passages), of which one passage had been accepted by CPEC joint coordination committee. Regarding second northern route, it noted that entire CPEC trade was based on a single passage (Haripur to Khunjerab), which passes through world’s most difficult terrain. `From a strategic point of view, it noted that a fully functional back-up route is needed from first Gilgit to Mardan, second from Bisham to Alupur and third from Besham to Mardan. Besides, it pointed out that the document also misses Indus Highway connectivity to Afghanistan and Central Asia through KP, besides failing to integrate FATA with rest of Pakistan. It noted that document only mentions Chinese key functional zones, while Pakistan’s key functional zones are not mentioned. LTP is a Pakistani document and needs to state its needs properly, it added. Chapter concerning industries and industrial parks, said Pakistan’s important economic zones, other than Gwadar Free Trade Area, need to be mentioned and failure to treat the subject properly may lead to miscarriage of development. In KP, promotion of Hattar, Rashakai and Dera Ismail Khan special economic zones would contribute to Pakistan`s economic growth. It also points out that LTP pays inadequate attention to mining sector, which is important for both KP and Balochistan. The document went on to note that the northern tourism belt centered around KP and GB. Development of northern routes is not mentioned in LTP, while in energy sector, development of oil and gas sectors also needed to be addressed. The document said trade imbalance between China and Pakistan needs mentioning in LTP. It proposed that under industrial collaboration, those industries need to be set up that aim at import substitution in Pakistan and on making Pakistan an export hub. It also suggested developing floriculture saying KP has immense potential for it and flower exports will have an excellent brand image of Pakistan. The document also asked for a 5 years plan for Pak-China economic cooperation, industry regulations, time for opening financial institutions, inclusion of dairy sector and dispute resolution mechanism to resolve commercial disputes with simple laws. KP government also proposed a second fiber optic cable route in north running from KP to Gwadar, to provide an alternative connectivity to Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia. It said LTP needs to define core and radiation zones where parts of Punjab, KP, Baluchistan and GB are included as core zones and country’s areas f all under radiation zones. It said the documents did not adequately foresee growth potential in KP’s urban economic centers and therefore, towns of Abbottabad, Nowshera and Mardan etc need to be mentioned as nodes. Being dead on CPEC route, these will see exponential growth, it added.
-
WB tribunal upholds TCC claim
Pakistan may face $11.5 b penality
An arbitration tribunal of World Bank has ruled in favor of Tethyan Copper Company Pvt Ltd (TCC) in Reko Diq gold mine project case. As a consequence, Pakistan may face a penalty of $11.5 billion for not awarding the project to TCC. World Bank’s International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) had earlier rejected Pakistan government’s application to dismiss TCC’s claims on grounds of corruption and malpractices by the latter. Both the federal and provincial governments submitted applications before ICSID and International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague during 2015-16, seeking admittance of new evidence showing TCC’s corrupt practices in Reko Diq affairs for illegal and undue gains. The move turned futile as the court ruled against Pakistan government for unlawful denial of the mining lease for Reko Diq to TCC which is a joint venture of Chile’s Antofagasta and Canada’s Barrick Gold Corporation. The TCC had initially filled the claim in 2012. Later in 2017, the company filed for compensatory damages amounting to $9.1 billion based on fair market value of its investments in the project till November 15, 2011. In addition, it also filed a claim of $2.3 billion as pre-award compound interest. Now, the government has to submit its reply to TCC’s damages claims. It merits mentioning that the PPP government had made an unsuccessful attempt to settle the dispute with TCC and, had also warned the Balochistan government of not paying pay damages in case of any adverse ruling from international tribunals. TCC held 75% shares while Balochistan had a 25% stake in the project. The company claims to have invested over $500 million in exploration, scoping and feasibility studies of the project. The total investment in the project was projected as $5 billion over a period of five years. TCC and Balochistan reached a deadlock in 2009 because of two major issues. One that Balochistan refused to take financial responsibility against its 25 percent stake. Two, the TCC was not in favor of the involvement of a Chinese company. A letter written by Pakistan’s Ambassador to Chile Burhanul Islam to then Petroleum Minister Naveed Qamar in September 2009 had advised against involving Metallurgical Corporation of China in the same mining site. In a feasibility report submitted to the Balochistan government, TCC projected a turnover of over $60 billion for the gold and copper project over a span of 56 years. This projection was based on a price of $2.2 per pound of copper and $925 per ounce of gold, in the year 2009. The mine has estimated reserves of 11.65 million tons of copper and 21.18 million ounces of gold.
-
PEC subcommittees declared unlawful
GB dissolves all committees;Punjab Building Committee survives!
‘Of 800 members of 74 committees, 85 percent were outsiders’
The governing body (GB) of the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) has dissolved all subcommittees but one, formed allegedly in violation of the PEC Act and bylaws. The only committee which remains is Punjab Building Committee.
These committees were shaped by chairman PEC, Jawed Saleem Qureshi without due approval of the governing body, a number of the members of the body told Engineering Review.
The alleged unlawful formation of the committees had created deepening unease in numerous senior members of the council as they believed neither the PEC Act had been followed nor the governing body been taken into confidence.
The council is provided by the article 35 of the PEC Act to form one or more committees for carrying out special business. A senior engineer said although there was no specific number of committees mentioned in the PEC Act, it did not mean the law permitted formation of unlimited or a huge number of committees.
To the surprise of many, the number of subcommittees formed to proceed with special business of the council rose to the all-time high as 74—all formed without ratification of the governing body which solely holds, as per law, the mandate of formation, deletion, extension and abridgement of Committees.
Not only that but also the membership on such committees was so high in number that many engineers alleged it was a loss to public exchequer. An engineer claims the total number of the members of all committees was around 800. More ironical was the fact that, from this lot a high number of engineers on committees, only 15 percent were those who belonged to the governing body. The rest of the members making 85 percent of the total strength were outsiders who allegedly had been closer to the leadership.
Yet another senior engineer requesting anonymity also confirmed such a grave situation in the council. He however differed the ratio on the committees saying GB-related members and outsiders on the council might be 35:65.
Deterioration in the PEC is not a new phenomenon as the management committee—a body of senior engineers who are responsible to oversee the working of the secretariat so that the affairs of the council run as per law—allegedly kept mum and avoided bringing the issues to the notice of the governing body and thus failed to stop unlawful use of authority.
The Committees were formed illegally and the secretariat continued with such proceedings of formations, dissolutions, deletions and extensions of the committees without any lawful authority and the management committee failed to oblige its legitimate role to stop these illegalities at the first step, alleged a senior engineer.
The council is now replete with a question as to who is responsible for such a glaring violation of law which has put burden on council’s resources as well as on national exchequer.
The situation, yet another engineer told ER, has turned so messy that the management committee has not met for over 2 months. Many engineers ask about achievements of the council which is supposed to play a crucial role for development of engineers and engineering in the country. The transparency in appointments of 41 sub-registrars is being questioned amidst whispering as regards groupings on political basis in the council.
-
Revival of Manchar Lake receives a blow
P&D returns PC-I of NaiGaj Dam to W&P
The Ministry of Planning and Development has returned PC-I of the NaiGaj Dam to the Ministry of Water and Power, as the former wants a commitment from the Sindh government that it will finance environmental component of the project.
The step may affect efforts of reviving the Manchar Lake—the largest lake in Asia. Manchar is supposed to get fresh water supplies from the dam which is the only source of water for the lake. Ministry of planning has asked the ministry of W&P that before the processing of PC-I by CDWP it should provide written commitment from Sindh government for financing environmental component costing Rs5.80 billion.
The NaiGaj Dam project was initially approved by the ECNEC in 2012. Even after a lapse of five years, the CDWP has not revised the PC-I of the project. NaiGaj Dam is being constructed on Gaj River in district Dadu of Sindh with the total cost of Rs.46 billion. The 194-feet high dam will store 300,000 acre feet of water and irrigate 29,000 acres of the land. The project will create employment opportunities numbering around 6,500. The annual benefits of the project have been estimated over Rs3 billion.
Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD) is the major polluter of the lake. It is also one of the causes of quarrel between Sindh and center. This lake cannot be revived until salinities from RBOD are stopped. It is feared that if the RBOD project will not complete on time, the flora and fauna of Manchar Lake will completely be wiped out. However after an agreement reached between Federal and Sindh governments on RBOD-II funding, it is hoped that the contamination of Manchar Lake will end.
The issue of fresh water supply to the Mancher Lake still persists as the water wing of the planning ministry has returned the PC-I of the NaiGaj project without the approval of the competent authority. Planning experts are of the view that Mancher Lake cannot be revived unless fresh water is supplied from NaiGaj Dam. Supreme Court has already initiated suomoto proceedings on growing level of contamination in the Lake and deprivation of the livelihood of fishermen. The experts of the planning ministry are of the view that degrading quality of water of Mancher is at an alarming stage and if fresh water is not supplied, it will be a great dilemma for this national asset.
The PC-I of the project was approved by the ECNEC in August 2012 at a rationalized cost of Rs26.24 billion after removing some components of the project on which the Sindh government raised its objections. As it is believed that the environmental requirement of the project could not be addressed until fresh supplies from NaiGaj is not ensured. The implementation of deleted components will increase the project cost by 13 percent (Rs5.80 billion) to the total cost. The planning ministry also supported Sindh’s stand; though, the cost should be borne out by the province. The CDWP considered revised PC-I of Rs46.55 billion in March 2016 but it was deferred.
-
Consultants – Why?
A consultant is one who provides expert professional advice based on his sound knowledge and experience of the subject of his domain. One would find consultants in practically every area of human activity: engineering, medicine, surgery, management, HR, law, education, finance, estate, etc.
The significance of consultants of different trades greatly varies; the medical consultants being in the highest demand. And so are their professional fee. There’s quite an interesting anomaly between medical and engineering consultants in the matter of fee. Whereas everyone would like to go to the best doctor one could afford, when it comes to engaging an engineering consultant, one is tempted to go to the one quoting the lowest fee. In view of the huge and long-term repercussions that may accompany low fee propositions, they are void of any logic and call for a just and pragmatic approach.
A consultant brings wealth of valuable professional experience acquired over time from
projects of diversified nature undertaken at various places and under different conditions. This coupled with his knowledge of technologies, good practices, standards, innovative products, etc. enable the consultant to provide tremendous value addition on a project.Universally, the selection of consultants on engineering projects is merit based. This almost equally applies to projects of all types and magnitude. On medium and large size projects, consultant’s selection takes place on the quality of his technical proposal which, inter alia, includes consultant’s competence, past relevant experience, proposed methodology, proposed team, timelines, etc.
At times, the technical proposal alone decides the consultant’s selection. Alternatively, technical and financial proposals are jointly evaluated, generally giving them weightage of 80 and 20% respectively.
All international and national donor agencies which sponsor projects follow and advocate only merit based selection of consultants. The same practice has been adopted locally for public sector projects. To begin with it was Pakistan Engineering Council which did some pioneering work in this regard and then came the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority [PPRA] which quite effectively enforced the merit based selection. There could be some gray areas or loopholes in the enforcement of system, but the overall objective of merit is achieved to a fair degree. Whether merit based selection leads to quality construction and installation is a different matter. One would find glaring signs of corruption and kickbacks on many projects. As one can imagine, no one can indeed stop a political leader to play with the rules of business.
One would generally expect the private sector to be more quality conscious and thus follow the merit based selection of consultants. Unfortunately, this is not happening as a standard norm.On the contrary, often there’s totally unjust competition in the sense that well qualified and experienced consultants are equated to those who even don’t have the basic eligibility qualifications as prescribed by PEC. This deplorable situation combined with practically non-existing regulatory compliance is amply reflected by the poor construction and installation depicted at many of our buildings and industries.
Consultancy revolves around trust. A consultant is expected to act as a sincere adviser to the client and his engagement must lead to substantial value addition. Apart from his well-defined functions, the consultant must timely intimate the client of the impacts of any of the latter’s revised requirements, changes, etc. At the same time, the consultant must ensure that the proposed designs, products and systems would best cater to the present and projected needs of the client.
As they bring unparalleled value addition to any project, consultants are essential for the long-term techno-economic success of any project. Their selection must be done with utmost care and without falling into the traps of low fee propositions which could have devastating impacts on the health of projects. [The author is Chief Executive, KPA Consulting and could be reached at halid@kpa.com.pk.]
-
Flying cars finally being produced
While several futuristic projects are underway in different countries, a Dutch design may be the first one sold and soaring into the skies. After years of testing, the PAL-V company aims to pip its competitors to the post. It is poised to start production on what they bill as a world first: a three-wheeled gyrocopter-type vehicle which can carry two people and will be certified for use on the roads and in the skies.“This kind of dream has been around for 100 years now. When the first airplane was invented people already thought ‘How can I make that drivable on the road?”Chief marketing officer Markus Hess told AFP. The PAL-V (Personal Air and Land Vehicle) firm, based in Raamsdonksveer in the Netherlands, is aiming to deliver its first flying car to its first customer by the end of 2018. The lucky owner will need both a driving licence and a pilot’s licence. But with the keys in hand, the owner will be able to drive to an airfield for the short take-off, and after landing elsewhere drive to the destination in a “door-to-door” experience. Different versions of a flying car are being developed in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Japan, China and the United States. However, final assembly on the PAL-V will start in October, with the company seeking to be the first to go into commercial production.The PAL-V uses normal unleaded petrol for its two 100-horsepower engines, and can fly 400 to 500 kilometres (248 to 310 miles) at an altitude of up to 3,500 metres (11,500 feet). On the road it has a top speed of around 170 kilometres an hour. In 2019, the company expects to produce between 50 and 100 vehicles, before ramping up to “quite a few hundred” in 2020. It won’t be cheap. The first edition, the PAL-V Liberty, costs 499,000 euros ($599,000), while the slightly cheaper PAL-V Liberty Sport, to be made next, has a price tag of 299,000 euros. PAL-V was founded in 2007 by Robert Dingemanse and pilot John Bakker.“In the beginning it was, let’s make a gyrocopter drivable,” said Hess. But the company, which has some 40 to 50 employees, realised the weight and length of a gyrocopter’s blades gave the vehicle a high centre of gravity when driving, especially taking corners.They have designed the car so at the flick of a button the blades fold down and gather like a bat’s wings on the top.And they have incorporated into the car a 2005 breakthrough — when the Dutch company Carver invented a tilting system for three-wheelers — to counter the high centre of gravity and make it roadworthy. The company insists the PAL-V is not a helicopter, in which the blades are powered by an engine. It is a gyroplane, in which the blades rotate thanks to airflow. Even if both engines cut out, the blades will still turn, so “even if you go at zero speed it still keeps rotating and you are not going to drop out of the sky,” said Hess.While he refused to divulge how many orders they have, he said the company “was more than satisfied”.Clients put down a non-refundable deposit of 10,000 to 25,000 euros depending on the model. A third option is to put 2,500 euros into an escrow account, which secures them a place in the line.“In some senses we are selling a dream,” Hess said, standing next to the sleek, black first model developed in 2012 which has already put in “substantial hours” of flying and driving time. Parts are on order, with the first already in stock. Once built, the vehicle will have to complete at least 150 flying hours, and undergo extensive tests to receive its certification from the Cologne-based European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Hess defended the hefty price tag. It’s not a lot more than “a super-duper sports car with a few extras,” he said.“Considering the extra certification standards we have to go through for aviation, and that a super-duper sports car can’t even fly, we think it’s actually a bargain.” The PAL-V staff knows many inventors in other countries also developing flying cars, but remain unconcerned by the competition. Hess laughs when asked whether the skies will become too crowded. People at first “cannot even imagine flying cars. Then suddenly when they start imagining it, they see millions of flying cars in the air.That new reality, for the time being, is still a long way off”, he said.
-
Gorano Water fit for Crops
Sindh Engro Coal Mining Co (SECMC) has claimed its pilot project is growing crops by using saline waste water being dumped into the controversial Gorano reservoir and has been found fit to grow vegetables and pulses. SECMC officials told the press that pilot project executed by Thar Foundation (TF), a subsidiary of SECMC, seedlings of cluster beans, melon, lentil and other local crops were initially grown on a two acre plot in Thar Coal Block-II. Crops were being watered by underground saline water pumped 180 meters from open-pit coal mine, which had up to 5,000ppm TDS level, they claimed. Chando Bheel, one of the two farmers, TF had deputed to take care of the plot, said they had planted seeds of almost all local varieties of vegetables, fruits and pulses on the plot a month ago and were delighted to see that most of the saplings had survived and seedlings of cluster beans, melon and lentil were growing normally. Shamsuddin Shaikh, CEO TF and SECMC, said the water being supplied to the plot was the same as water stored in Gorano reservoir. He said, his company had inked an agreement with a Karachi University Institute, to grow green fodder on the plot on experimental basis. ISHU’s Prof Dr Bilqees Gul said that at the first stage, seedlings that had grown on the plot would be planted at a nursery in ISHU and would later be transplanted to Thar.‘We have made significant progress in research. If implemented, it could contribute significantly to rehabilitating saline land in arid areas like Thar,’ she said.