MANSEHRA: The residents, who land has been acquired for 840 megawatts Suki Kanari hydropower project, have warned that they will stage a sit-in outside the Chief Minister’s Secretariat in Peshawar if the government doesn’t make payments in line with market rate.

“The government has acquired our land and houses for the construction of Suki Kanari dam but it has yet to offer us the promised market price and other incentives,” member of the district council Junaid Ali Qasim told reporters here on Tuesday.

Leading a group of landowners, Junaid Ali Qasim regretted that the people, who offered land for the hydropower project being executed on the Kunhar River in Kaghan valley to overcome power shortfall in the country, were denied due rights.

He said the district administration, which was authorised to acquire land, had signed a memorandum of understanding with landowners promising the payment of market rate for their land but low payments were offered to them that were unacceptable to them.

Landowner Waqas Shah said if the government didn’t make the sought-after payments, the landowners would take to the streets.

“We appeal to the chief minister to ensure the payment of market rate for our land and if that doesn’t happen, we’ll stage a sit-in outside his (CM’s) secretariat in Peshawar,” he said.

ANTI-ENCROACHMENT DRIVE: The Oghi tehsil administration on Tuesday launched an anti- encroachment campaign and fined 18 traders for not removing illegal structures from outside their places despite getting warning.

“Most traders removed concrete encroachments and handcarts from outside their shops but those, who didn’t do so, have been fined,” assistant commissioner of Oghi tehsil Babar Khan Tanoli told reporters.

A team of various departments led by Mr Tanoli paid surprise visits to different bazaars and fined shopkeepers over encroaching on the government land.

“If the traders, who got notices, don’t remove encroachments voluntarily, they will be put behind bars,” he said.

ONE KILLED: A man was killed and his son suffered critical injuries when their rivals attacked them with clubs and sticks here in Chitta Batta area on Tuesday.

Badiuzzaman had warned his relative, Mohammad Sheeraz, against meeting his son, Shahzada.

The warning angered Mohammad Sheeraz, who attacked Badiuzzaman and his son along with accomplices leaving both seriously injured.

The injured were shifted to the King Abdullah Teaching Hospital, where the doctors pronounced Badiuzzaman dead.

The police registered an FIR and began raids to arrest suspects, who are on the run.

Published in Dawn, June 19th, 2019