September 23, 2007	Sunday	Ramazan 10, 1428

RAWALPINDI, Sept 22: Various development projects worth Rs25 billion have yet to get underway as the would-be affected people have refused to accept the compensation package being offered to them by the government for their land.

The authorities concerned have not yet initiated work on the proposed mega projects in the city, including Leh Expressway and flood channel, because of the problems being faced by them in acquiring land.

Land acquisition for the other three multi-billion projects — Daducha Dam, Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at Adiala and Chirrah Dam — is a major impediment as negotiations between the authorities concerned and the landholders have so far yielded no results.

Leh Expressway, that would cost Rs16 billion, is not expected to be completed within the stipulated two years time period as the authorities concerned have not yet demolished some houses in Saidpur Housing Scheme and acquire the 112 kanals needed for the project.

The residents of the housing scheme have refused to accept alternative accommodation incentives which is preventing execution of the mega project. This has also worried Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed who wanted the project to become visible ahead of the general elections.

The residents have also threatened to move the Supreme Court in case the authorities decide to bulldoze their houses to construct the signal-free expressway on both sides of Leh Nullah which has prompted the federal minister to direct the executing agency to stop work on the project.

However, Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) Director- General Brig (retired) Pervez Mehmood Khan said the required land for the project would soon be acquired after increasing the compensation package for the affected people besides offering them alternative residences.

Similarly, Daducha and Chirrah dams, which would collectively cost Rs7 billion, have been bedevilled by the land acquisition problems for the last six years though the provincial government has allocated huge amount for compensating the affected farmers.

About 2,000 kanals are needed to be purchased for the two water projects at the rate of Rs90,000 per kanal, but the affected people want an increase in compensation and share in water supply.

The two dams have the capacity to supply 25 million gallons of water daily to both Rawalpindi city and cantonment areas for the next 50 years as Rawal Dam, which is currently a major water source for the residents, has outlived its 50-year design life.

The two projects that were conceived in 2001 and had to be completed in 2004 could not materialise due to hurdles in the land acquisition process which eventually resulted in acute water shortage in the city.

Installation of the much-awaited Sewage Treatment Plant with the financial assistance of Asian Development Bank (ADB) at Adiala is yet to enter the kick-off stage as the executers have failed to acquire 1,800 kanals for the project.

The project would approximately cost Rs2 billion under the Rawalpindi Environment Improvement Project (REIP) aimed at recycling sewage of the city besides reducing contamination in drinking water.

The would-be affected people at Adiala have also declined to accept the compensation pledged by the project’s executers and fear that the sewage plant would worsen the environment of their locality.