MANSEHRA: The Upper Kohistan district administration will take up the issues of the affected people of 4,300 megawatt Dasu hydropower project with Prime Minister Imran Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and the Wapda chairman.

“I have no legal powers to address problems raised by you in this meeting but I give you an assurance that all these problems will be taken up with the federal and provincial governments and Wapda for early solution,” deputy commissioner Hamidur Rehman told an 80-member committee of Dasu dam-affected families at a meeting on Sunday.

The meeting which was attended among others by district police officer Abdul Saboor Khan, officials of Wapda, and departments concerned, discussed the demands of the affected families.

The affected families, who had, last week, taken to the streets to demand implementation of charter of demands, have announced to cooperate with the district administration in early completion of the dam provided their demands are met.

“Wapda and the district administration had inked an agreement accepting our charter of demands in 2016 and if this agreement is implemented in letter and spirit, we will create no hindrance in the way of smooth execution of the project which guarantees development and prosperity of people of this backward district,” said Haji Fazalur Rehman, a member of the committee.

Another member, Zia Khan Kandia, said the government should pay them market rate of the land acquired for the dam, and also hire services of locals in the project.

Deputy commissioner Hamidur Rehman said if both the federal and provincial governments accepted their demands, these would be implemented in letter and spirit.

JUDICIAL COMPLEX: District and Sessions Judge, Torghar, Ashfaq Taj laid the foundation stone of the judicial complex in Oghi the other day. The complex will be built with an estimated cost of Rs100 million.

Addressing the groundbreaking ceremony, Mr Taj said the judicial complex would help in speedy dispensation of justice to people of Torghar and Oghi.

The provincial government has already released Rs5 million and rest of the money would be released gradually as work progresses.

Oghi tehsil bar president Nisar Khan said that owning to shortage of space at the court premises litigants and lawyers were suffering a lot.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2018