MANSEHRA: The residents have demanded payments in line with the market rate for their land being acquired for the 300 megawatts Balakot hydropower project.

The landowners warned that if the demand wasn’t met, they would take to the streets to claim the right.

“The assistant commissioner had announced the hiring of locals for low-grade and labour posts in the Balakot energy project, but the first batch of staff hired for the project comprises non-locals by and large. Such a conduct is unacceptable to us,” president of the committee of the dam-affected people Aqeel Ahmad Yusufzai told reporters on Wednesday.

Threaten street protests on matter

Accompanied by a group of landowners, he said the district administration had finalised the land acquisition plan in haste for the project’s early inauguration by the chief minister.

“The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council had approved $750 million for this project being built on the Kunhar River in Balakot teshil,” he said.

On the occasion, another committee member, Arshad Hussain, said the acquisition of around 8,000 kanals of land was in the final stage, but the residents were unaware of the price offered to them for their land, houses, trees and other properties to be acquired for the project.

“The Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation has formally launched work on the energy project and hired the first batch of lower grade employees by ignoring locals,” he said.

Mr Hussain said the assistant commissioner of Balakot had announced that the locals would be appointed to the non-technical and labour posts in accordance with the country’s laws, but no action was taken on that announcement.

“Our land is being acquired for the energy project but we are denied the promised jobs and other benefits,” he said.

POWER PROTEST: The leaders of various political parties have warned that they will take to the streets if the Peshawar Electric Supply Company doesn’t stop the excessive power cuts in Oghi.

Representative of the region’s political parties Moman Khan Usmani told reporters on Wednesday that the Pesco had been suspending electric supply for around 10 hours daily in the name of maintenance to the misery of domestic and commercial consumers.

He said the residents had taken up the matter with the Pesco high-ups for corrective measures, but to no avail.

Another speaker, Anwar Saeed Khan, said the business community of Oghi and its suburbs was worst hit by prolonged power outages in the name of maintenance.

He warned if power cuts continued, the residents would stage street protests.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2021