MANSEHRA: District development advisory committee chairman and MPA Wajiuzaman Khan has said the ruling PTI will not allow anyone to acquire land for the Suki Kanari hydropower project at throwaway price.

“My party and Chief Minister Pervez Khattak are with you and will never allow anybody to deprive you of your precious land in the name of construction of Suki Kanari dam and that too at throwaway price,” he told a function of landowners in Paris area of Kaghan valley on Thursday.

Former PTI district president Shafahat Ali and deputy organiser Syed Munir Shah also spoke on the occasion.

The DDAC chairman said the 870MW Suki Kanari hydropower project was being executed under the multibillion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor plan and that the government should ensure pay people for their land according to the market rate.

“The dam is being built on the Kunhar River in Kaghan valley, which is a tourist attraction. The government should pay the people the market price of their land being acquired for it,” he said.

MPA says landowners will meet CM over Suki Kanari project concerns

Mr. Wajiuzaman said landowners would meet Chief Minister Pervez Khattak to inform him about their grievances on the matter. “Mr. CM would order the revenue department to fix the price of land being acquired for dam in line with the current market trends,” he said.

Mr. Shafahat Ali told participants that the local residents were denied employment in the project. “This is a mega project and if local people don’t get employment in it, how it could be completed,” he said. Mr. Shafahat Ali said the government should ensure that the people get reasonable price for their land offered for the hydropower project.

PTI leader Syed Munir Shah said if the government didn’t address land price and employment issues, the local residents would come onto the streets to claim rights.

TRANSVESTITES ROBBED: Armed men robbed transgender persons of gold, cash and cellphones at their house in Buttpull area of Mansehra city on Wednesday night.

Accompanied by a group of transgender persons, divisional president of Shemale Association in Hazara Maria Khan told reporters here that five armed men barged into the house of Sehrish at night, looted Rs120,000 cash, gold ornaments, cellphones and other valuables at gunpoint, and fled.

She said the police had arrested suspects and recovered some of the stolen goods but most of them were missing.

Maria Khan warned transgender persons would agitate if the cases of attacks and theft against them didn’t stop. JI CONGREGATION: The Jamaat-i-Islami Mansehra chapter has finalised arrangements for the holding of two-day ‘Ijtam-i-Aam’ congregation Nowshera district. The event will begin in Azakhela area on Oct 22.

“We have communicated party message to every household in the district and expect massive participation of the people in the congregation,” JI district chief Dr Tariq Sherazi told reporters here on Thursday.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2016