MANSEHRA, June 9: Levelling of land for the demarcation of plots in the Bakrial area — the site for a new town to be set up for the quake survivors of Balakot and Garlat — has begun.

The work has begun following the transfer of ownership rights of 11,436 kanals of land by the Mansehra District Revenue Department to the Provincial Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (Perra), according to official sources.

The acquiring of land for the 15,600-kanal ‘new Balakot city’ has been made possible by the release of Rs1.48 billion for the purchase of land in Bakrial at market rates. Initially, the work to lay the basic infrastructure was started only on 4,160 kanals of land, the ownership rights of which were transferred by the Forest Department to the Perra.

Speaking to Dawn, the naib tehsildar and in-charge of land acquisition for the project, Jawed Hussein, said: “Disbursement of money vouchers among the landowners will start very soon as the patwaris have formulated the lists.”

He added that the revenue department was busy in giving a final shape to the lists. Without the final lists the department would not be able to pay money to the real owners.

Sources told that the Nespak was levelling the land to earmark the plots for the quake survivors of the red zone, Balakot and Garlat.

Mr Jawed said the maximum rate in the Dodhal Argshal area for one kanal of land was Rs180,000 and a minimum rate was fixed at Rs 80,000.

In Dodhal Malkan area, the maximum rates for one kanal of land was Rs 180,000 and minimum rate was Rs130,000, he said, while adding that in Mungan area, the maximum rate for one kanal was Rs 100,000 and minimum rate was Rs80,000.