August 2, 2002	Friday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 22,1423

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 1: Steering committee on the Mangla Extension Project on Thursday in a meeting decided to include the AJK government in the construction pact of the dam to share its future benefits.

The committee, with Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas (KANA) Abbas Sarfraz Khan in the chair, reviewed the progress of two sub-committees it had formed in its earlier meeting, and decided to meet again next week.

The steering body during the review of reports of the two sub-committees, one headed by KANA additional secretary and second by AJK chief secretary, decided to expedite the pace of meeting targeted measures, including payment of compensation to the dam victims.

Report prepared by the second sub-committee proposed a Rs2 billion package for the physical rehabilitation of victims of 1967 and cash compensation to them.

But the committee, finding the report incomplete and without sufficient details, rejected it and referred it back for providing complete list of the affectees along with the proposed measures about cash compensation or otherwise.

The sub-committee headed by KANA Additional Secretary Gulzar Khan proposed payment of compensation to the dam raising affectees and construction of a housing colony to accommodate at least 15,000 population.