Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Livestock and Fisheries Department has conducted one of the leading e-auctions for fishing rights in public water bodies, marking a step toward digital governance and more transparent fisheries management in the province. The auction was held for Zebi Dam in Karak and concluded through a fully digital bidding process, with Arif and Brothers emerging as the highest bidder with an offer of Rs 3.051 million, compared to the reservoir’s previous lease value of Rs 1.2 million, representing a 155 percent increase in government revenue from the site.
According to officials, the digital auction system removes middlemen, reduces human intervention, and maintains a complete digital audit trail while supporting real time competitive bidding among participants. Eligible individuals and companies from across Pakistan are able to participate remotely, widening the pool of potential bidders beyond those able to attend in person auctions. The department expects the system to improve transparency, strengthen public confidence, support ease of doing business, and generate higher returns from public assets managed by the provincial government.
Following the Zebi Dam auction, the department plans to extend the e-auction system to fishing rights across 17 more public water bodies, including Tarbela Dam, using the same digital platform. It is also developing a Digital Reservoir Management System intended to support scientific monitoring, conservation, resource management, and evidence based policymaking for the province’s fisheries and aquaculture sector. Livestock Secretary Zariful Maani said reserve prices for all 17 dams and reservoirs had been set for the 2026-29 lease period after assessing the fisheries production and revenue potential of each water body, with the revised reserve prices more than double the previous lease amounts in most cases.
The most significant increase has been proposed for Tarbela Dam, where the reserve price has been raised from Rs 150 million to Rs 350 million, while Gomal Zam Dam’s reserve price has increased from Rs 19 million to Rs 30 million and Jalozai Dam’s reserve price has risen from Rs 2.7 million to Rs 34 million. Mardankhel Dam also attracted its highest bid yet at Rs 536,000, after no individual or company submitted a bid during the previous manual auction covering the 2023-26 period. The department has additionally set reserve prices for dams that remained unauctioned during the previous cycle, bringing more public assets into the government’s revenue stream as the digital auction system expands across the province.
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