PESHAWAR, June 13: Differences between landowners and the National Highway Authority over the payment issue are likely to delay completion work on the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway, it is learnt.

“The owners who have given their land for the project are yet to receive the payment under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894,” sources said.

They said that although the compensation issue had been taken up at chief secretary’s level, it was yet to be resolved, adding that the landowners had time and again forcibly stopped the construction work on M-2 of the motorway project.

The motorway is scheduled to be inaugurated on August 31, but the NHA is currently facing hurdles from the landowners.

The stoppage of construction work on parts of Peshawar, Nowshera and Charsadda of the motorway project had been a routine affair, especially over the last two months.

NHA officials alleged that the local population of these districts were forcing the authority to stop work in protest against the non-payment of dues, adding that it created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity among officials and labourers working for different construction companies.

In the wake of shortage of police force, the ministry of interior in October last year had directed the NWFP government to deploy one platoon of the Frontier Constabulary to ensure smooth work and protection to the workers. But despite the passage of seven months, the NWFP government has failed to deploy FC personnel.

The sources said the NHA had also sought help from NWFP IGP Mohammad Sharif Virk for the deployment of force. The authority urged the IGP to constitute a special task force of police to patrol the M-2 in Peshawar, Nowshera and Charsadda, along with FC personnel for mob controlling.

The sources said the IGP had been requested to direct the police officers in three districts to cooperate with NHA officials so that they could perform their duties fearlessly.

The NHA had also suggested the formation of committees, with DPOs of the respective districts as their heads, along with the M-1 project director who would carry out a fortnightly review of the security measures, the sources added.