HARIPUR, Nov 13: The provincial minister for excise and taxation, Aminullah Khan Gandapur, announced on Wednesday that some 1,744 affected people of the Tarbela dam project would be compensated for their losses, on Dec 1.

For this purpose, the federal government had already earmarked Rs220 million, which would be transferred to the provincial government  by the end of this month, the minister said, while speaking at a function organised by the district government, held at the Khalabat  Township (KTS) on Wednesday.

Among others, the district Nazim, Dr Raja Aamir Zaman, MPA-elect from PF-51, Haripur, Akhtar Nawaz Khan, and the Tehsil Nazim, Iftekhar Ahmad Khan, attended the function.

Mr Gandapur, while giving the details of the procedure being adopted for the payment of the compensations, said that out of 1,744 claims, 44 claimants who had deposited the required amount for the allotment of the residential plots were being paid 20 times more than the amount paid.

While the remaining people, who had claimed alternative agriculture land, would be paid the same amount of Rs107,500 against per 100 kanal per claim.

About the possession of the alternative agricultural land to those people who were allotted land in Sindh but they failed to get possession, the minister said that the federal government had sent a proposal to the Sindh government recommending, either possession of the allotted land or payment against the land according to the present rates.

He said that out of the total Rs220 million, Rs140 million would be  spent on the development of Khalabat Township.

About the exemption from the property tax, the minister said that the provincial government had sent its recommendations for a moratorium on the property tax in KTS to the federal government, and the decision on which was expected shortly.

Referring to the delay in paying compensation regarding the projects like the Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC) and Tarbela dam, the minister attributed it to the wrong policies of the past rulers. 

He said that the affected people of the CRBC would also be paid compensation by the 1st of December.

The district Nazim demanded that at least 25 per cent of the total royalty of the dam be earmarked for the district besides allocation of a quota in public sector jobs for the affected people.