February 19, 2006	Sunday	Muharram 20, 1427

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HARIPUR, Feb 18: District Nazim Yousaf Ayub Khan has declined to give a no-objection certificate for a gravity flow water supply scheme upstream on Dour river in Abbottabad and vowed to fight for the rights of the district.

Talking to Dawn here on Saturday, the nazim said that he was asked at a meeting to sign the NoC for scheme which was proposed to be constructed upstream Dour river near Harno village in Abbottabad district.

He said that the meeting was held at the office of the NWFP additional chief secretary on Friday which was also attended by representatives of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), secretaries of the local government, works and services department, officials of the public health and irrigation departments, Abbottabad district nazim and DCOs of the districts concerned.

Mr Khan said there were reservations against the project and that it would ruin the irrigation system of Haripur district, therefore he refused to sign the NOC.

He said that unless the provincial government extend assurances that the shortfall of irrigation water in Haripur, resulting from the construction of the scheme, would be covered with alternative irrigation scheme, he would not sign the NOC.

The nazim said that a study conducted by the irrigation department had indicated that the Haripur district was already receiving 120 cusecs water short of its due share.

He said that the project if implemented might create

law and order situation as a vast area of the Haripur district would be affected owing to diversion of water from the Dour river.