MANSEHRA: The World Bank has asked the district administration of Upper Kohistan to expedite land acquisition for the early completion of Dasu hydropower project.

A delegation of the international financial institution, which is offering 20 percent of the funds for the 4,300 megawatt project, visited the project site and met the Wapda and district administration officials.

Deputy commissioner of Upper Kohistan Hamidur Rehman told Dawn on Wednesday that the World Bank wanted an early completion of land acquisition process for the Dasu hydropower project.

Official says process delayed due to nonexistence of revenue records

He said a delegation of the World Bank led by Rikard Liden was present in Kohistan on a three-day visit.

The DC said the delegation met him and sought the immediate removal of hurdles to the early completion of the project being executed in Dasu, the district headquarters of Upper Kohistan.

He said the district administration wanted to get hold of over 90,000 kanals land for the project but the exercise could take at least one year to complete.

“We are struggling to acquire land as the district doesn’t have revenue records,” he said.

Mr Rehman said the people affected by the project sought market price for their land and appointment of locals to the project’s low-grade positions.

He said he had called the landowners to his office on Friday for addressing his grievances.

HOTEL GUTTED: A big fire gutted a hotel in Shogran tourist resort of Kaghan valley on Wednesday.

However, no damage to public life was reported in the incident as staff members and residents shifted the tourists, including children and women, to safe places.

The fire reportedly caused by electrical short circuit was extinguished by the fire tenders, which reached there from Balakot.

A hotel owner, Mohammad Rasheed, told reporters that 10 rooms and a major portion of the building were destroyed by the fire.

He said no damage to public life was reported.

TRIBAL TENSIONS: The district administration of Torghar has begun efforts to defuse tensions between Akazai and Gujjar tribes over a disputed land as tribesmen assumed positions on hilltops.

“We have begun efforts to defuse tensions between Gujjar and Akazai tribes after the former refused to attend a jirga called by the district nazim earlier this month,” deputy commissioner of Torghar Fayyaz Khan told reporters here on Wednesday.

Both tribes had torched houses of each other last month over the land dispute.

The DC said the committee formed by the district administration and police visited the elders of both tribes and convinced them to attend the jirga and decided that the land issue should be settled once and for all.

“We have received a positive response from both sides,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2018