MINGORA: Residents of Matiltan in Kalam valley here on Thursday held a demonstration against nonpayment of price of their land acquired by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for the 84MW hydropower project.

In December 2016, then chief minister Pervez Khattak inaugurated work on the Gorkeen Matiltan hydropower project, which was to be completed in four years at a cost of Rs20 billion.

The protesters forcibly locked up the office of private construction company having contract of the project and said that the provincial government had signed an MoU with the local people to pay money to the landowners affected by the project.

“About 30 per cent construction work has been completed, but still the government failed to pay compensation despite repeated appeals,” said Saeed Khan, village councillor of Usho Matiltan.

The protesters said that they would not allow construction work till payment of the compensation amount.

“Establishment of a college, hospital and two other mini hydropower projects were also included in the MoU, but after 15 months there are no signs of work on these projects,” said Ihsanullah Zareen, a resident of the area.

The protesters demanded of the caretaker government to immediately release the land compensation amount as agreed in the MoU.

POWER OUTAGES: Hundreds of residents from over 20 villages in Upper Swat took to the streets at Sambat village in Matta the other day against prolonged power loadshedding for the last three months in their areas.

The protesters from Chuprial, Gwalerai, Barthana and Biha union councils in Matta tehsil were holding banners inscribed with slogans against the Peshawar Electric Supply Company and district administration. They blamed the administration and Pesco officials for power suspension to their villages, while areas of influential people had been getting smooth supply.

“For the last three months the Pesco officials have suspended electricity to our villages without any reason. Sometimes for an hour or two the power supply is resumed, but its voltage is so low that it cannot even charge mobile phones,” said Nisar Alam, a resident of Chuprial who was in the protest.

Assistant commissioner Jan Mohammad went to the spot and along with the area elders met the Pesco officials to resolve the issue.

“We have had a written agreement with the Pesco officials in which it was decided that equal distribution of electricity will be ensured to all the union councils of Matta tehsil as electricity will be supplied for 12 hours equally to the four union councils and the other areas,” the AC assured the protesters after the meeting.

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2018