MANSEHRA: The district administration of Mansehra will demolish the houses of the people, who are unwilling to vacate the premises despite getting payments for the land being acquired for the New Balakot City Housing Project.

The scheme has been designed for the 2005 earthquake-surviving families still living in the Red Zone of Balakot and Garlat.

“We have already served notices on the landowners, who are reluctant to vacate their property. We warn them that the law will take its course if they don’t vacate the land,” deputy commissioner Iqbal Hussain told reporters here on Wednesday.

The DC said the district administration would strictly follow the orders of the provincial assembly’s standing committee on the allotment of plots to the earthquake survivors.

Mansehra DC says landowners hampering New Balakot housing project will lose their plots

He said the district administration made payments for the land to be acquired for the New Balakot City Housing Project to around 365 landowners around 10 years ago and began development work on the project.

Mr Hussain however said unfortunately, work on the project was still unfinished due to the reluctance of landowners to hand over the land to the administration.

He said most landowners had promised in writing to offer help for the project’s successful execution but there were some, who were unwilling to vacate land despite getting due payments. The DC said the government had allotted two plots for every landowner but those creating hurdles to the project would be deprived of the plots and their houses would be demolished.

He said the government had allotted one developed plot for every family, whose land was acquired for the housing project, and when the families demanded more plots, the government gave them two each.

Mr Hussain said landowners creating hurdles to the project’s smooth execution would be deprived of allotted plots and that their houses would be pulled down.

He said the provincial assembly’s standing committee wanted the allotment of plots to families living in the Red Zone of Balakot and the district administration was discharging its duty in this respect in accordance with the law.

COMPENSATION ANNOUNCED: The federal government has announced Rs1 million compensation for the family of an enumerator, who was killed in a road accident during the census duty in Battle area of Mansehra district earlier this week.

“We have received a letter from the federal government in which an amount of Rs1 million has been announced for the family of a teacher killed during the census duty,” deputy commissioner Iqbal Hussain told reporters here on Wednesday. The DC said Abdul Qadir died in a jeep accident. “As soon as the money is transferred to our bank accounts, we will give it to the family of Abdul Qadir,” he said.

Meanwhile, former JUI-F MPA Mufti Kifaitullah on Wednesday said he would contest the next elections for the PK-55 Mansehra seat.

Addressing a convention of the party workers in Baffa, the former lawmaker said he would contest the coming general elections in the PK-55 Mansehra constituency but his rival were spreading false propaganda that he was going to contest the NA-21 elections.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2017