MANSEHRA: The families affected by Dasu hydropower project on Saturday announced that work on the 4380 megawatts energy initiative would remain suspended until Wapda fulfilled its commitments regarding land acquisition and financial package.

The announcement was made during a jirga in Kamila area ofUpper Kohistan district.

The participants included the representatives and chairmen of Upper Kohistan district’s four tehsils, including Dasu, Harban, Kandia and Suo.

They unanimously decided about the suspension of work on the power project.

“The Wapda isn’t honouring agreements it made with Dasu project-hit families, so we [joint action committee] are left with no option but to go for a halt to work,” Suo tehsil council chairman Maulana Mohammad Uzair told the jirga.

Jirga asks Wapda to fulfil commitments

He said the companies executing the project had been conveyed the jirga’s decision, so there won’t be any work until the Wapda fulfilled its commitments.

Mr Uzair said the JAC representing 200 members of all four tehsils would decide its future line of action.

He said if the need arose, talks would be held with the government, district administration and Wapda.

Dasu tehsil council chairman Mohammad Idrees said the residents took to the streets many times to demand the removal of non-locals appointed to the dam but the Wapda didn’t meet that demand.

He said the Wapda chairman had promised during a meeting with locals that non-locals won’t be appointed as the project’s lower staff members during its execution and even after its completion, but the promise wasn’t fulfilled as residents of other districts were still being recruited.

Harban tehsil council chairman Asadullah Qureshi said under the Area Development Funds programme, the Wapda had earmarked Rs6 billion in 2016 for the project-hit people, which should be increased in accordance with the current inflation rate.

Kandia tehsil council chairman Anwarul Haq criticised Wapda over failure to address the issues of project-affected families related to land acquisition and Kitchen Package.

“All issues should be settled. Until that is done, we won’t allow companies to resume work on Dasu project,” he said.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2023