CHITRAL: The people of Chitral have held a protest demonstration against the mineral department’s plan to auction river bed for collection of sand and gravel. They said that the land was once cultivable and private property of the local people, but turned into river bed by floods in the course of time.

Holding a demonstration in front of the deputy commissioner’s office, a number of landowners contended that all the river beds in the district were not state property and it was an injustice with them to put their private prosperities on auction by the government.

Led by Syed Muzaffar Jan and Shahzada Gul, the protesters said that the rise in the level of river in summer had washed away a large chunk of land under cultivation, converting it into a river bed.

They said that the villagers collected construction materials such as sand and gravel from the river beds either free of cost or on nominal price. They said that the prices of construction material would go up after the auction, creating problems for the common man.

They claimed that the higher judiciary had already given its verdict that the river beds, which were under cultivation before the flood, would remain the property of private owners.

The protesters dispersed after additional deputy commissioner Minhasuddin assured them protesters that their complaints would be brought into the notice of higher authorities.

PM’S VISIT: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will visit Chitral on Feb 3 to inaugurate the 108MW hydropower station, which has recently been completed.

Talking to this scribe here, MNA Shahzada Iftikharuddin said that the prime minister would also inaugurate work on the installation of gas plants, a project of the federal government to provide the area with liquefied natural gas which would replace the use of oak wood for cooking and heating purposes.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2018