MANSEHRA: The district administration on Friday began issuing letters of allotment of 10-marla plots to the residents of Bakrial area, who voluntarily vacated their houses and land for the New Balakot city housing project.

The then president, Pervez Musharraf, had launched the project in 2007 for the 2005 earthquake’s survivors from the Balakot red zone at the cost of Rs13 billion.

Work on the initiative was scheduled to be completed in 2012 but it didn’t happen as the people continued to occupy their land acquired for it despite over Rs1.2 billion payments.

“We want the early completion of work on the New Balakot city housing project for the rehabilitation of the earthquake survivors,” deputy commissioner Shahrukh Khan told a ceremony held here to give away plot allotment letters.

Balakot assistant commissioner Fiaz Khan was also present on the occasion.

The DC handed over the allotment letters to 40 families, who had voluntarily vacated their houses and land in Bakrial area.

He said as landowners vacated houses and land, plots in the New Balakot city housing project would be allotted to the 2005 calamity survivors.

Over 100 landowners were held lately for refusing to vacate their land and thus, beginning the voluntarily vacation of land and houses for the project.

The Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority will accommodate over 4,000 earthquake-surviving families in the New Balakot city project.

ACTION DEMANDED: The Oghi tehsil council on Friday demanded of the forest department to act against the mining companies involved deforestation in remote parts of the tehsil.

“The mineral companies have been chopping down cheer and deodar trees in large numbers at granite sites leased out to them by the government for mining only but unfortunately, neither the forest department nor the mining department is taking any action against these companies,” tehsil nazim Raja Bashir told the council, which met here with its convener, Qazi Zahidullah, in the chair.

The nazim said the government had made false claims on the deforestation front, especially in Hazara and Mansehra as mining companies in Darband area of Oghi tehsil were involved in illegal cutting of trees.

Councillors Zahidullah and Habib Bassikhail accused the Agror Tanawal divisional forest officer of making irregular appointments and demanded strict action against him.

Council member Jamal Alvi complained that the communication and works department had more than 40 officials in Oghi but they all had been getting salary without work for many years.

He added that those officials delayed execution of the projects recommended by councillors.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2017