July 29, 2007	Sunday	Rajab 13, 1428

MANSEHRA, July 28: Residents and land owners have refused to sell their properties on which the New Balakot City has been planned, saying that it would displace a large number of the 2005 quake survivors, it is learnt.

“We will prefer to die rather than sell the land of our forefathers. It is unwise on part of the government to plan a new city for the displaced people and this decision would displace those settled in the area,” residents told Dawn on Saturday.

The district revenue department had already transferred about 11,500 kanals of land to the Provincial Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (Perra) for establishing the new city. The forest department transferred 4,000 kanals of its land in Perra’s name as the new town would be constructed on 15,500 kanals, sources said.

As many as 500 owners from the Dodhal Argoshal and Dodhal Malkan received Rs15 million for their land while residents of Mungan were refusing to sell their properties and receive payments.

The government had earmarked an amount of Rs1.48 billion for the purchase of land. But residents of 600 houses on the proposed site did not vacate their land.

Previously, residents of Mungan had attacked officials and Mansehra district Nazim Sardar Mohammad Yousaf and also injured seriously a government official on July 3 when the Deputy Chairman Erra Lt-Gen Nadeem Ahmad was present at a reconciliation jirga.

Residents were adamant that they would never transfer their land to Perra and alleged that the government wanted to forcefully snatch away their land.