HARIPUR: The landowners from Khoi Nara and Bandi Muneem villages here on Sunday warned the provincial government of agitation if it did not withdraw the decision of constructing a cement manufacturing unit in the area.

Accompanied by several villagers, Malik Sohrab Khan told mediapersons that the provincial government was going to acquire 2,448 kanal of land from the two villages of Bareela union council for constructing a cement plant as part of the CPEC.

He said the people favoured industrialisation but not at the cost of their fertile land which was the only source of their living.

He said the revenue department had imposed section 4 of Land Acquisition Act by declaring the selected land as non-fertile which was not true.

He said changing the status of the land would deprive the owners of the market rate of their agriculture land.

He said the land chosen for the cement factory had hundreds of thousands of olive trees and standing crops besides mosques and schools.

He pointed out that two cement factories already existed in the region, saying the cement manufacturing process and quarrying would add to miseries of area people.

REHAM KHAN VISITS THALASSAEMIA CENTRE: Journalist turned social activist Reham Khan on Sunday visited Haripur Thalassaemia Centre and stayed with the children for some time.

Ms Khan, who also heads Reham Khan Foundation, enquired about the children getting treatment at the centre.

Speaking to the parents of children, she said the non-governmental organisations were sharing the burden of government which was supposed to provide complete healthcare facilities to the citizens.

She asked the citizens to question their elected representatives that why they had failed to serve their voters which was evident from lack of facilities at government hospitals.

“It’s quite unfortunate that those who get to the parliament with the vote of people forget their problems,” she said.

Without naming the PTI government and its claim of bringing about reforms in the health sector, she said she had visited different hospitals and BHUs of Haripur but found them lacking even basic facilities.

“Now this is incumbent on the citizens and media to raise voice,” she demanded.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2018