MANSEHRA: Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) on Friday handed over a cheque of Rs1.78 billion to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government as compensation for land acquired for the Diamer-Bhasha hydropower project in Upper Kohistan.

General Manager (Land Acquisition, Resettlement and Human Resource Development) at the Diamer-Bhasha Dam project retired Brigadier Shoaib Taqi presented the cheque to Upper Kohistan deputy commissioner and district collector Tariq Ali Khan in the presence of Hazara DIG Nasir Mehmood Satti.

The deputy commissioner will disburse the amount to landowners as compensation after completing necessary procedures after reviewing GIS reports, revenue records and other relevant documentation, according to a news release.

The compensation pertains to land and properties acquired for the Diamer-Bhasha Dam in Harban-Bhasha, a tehsil of Upper Kohistan district.

Meanwhile, a meeting chaired by DIG Hazara Nasir Mehmood Satti reviewed land acquisition matters and other issues related to the 4,500-megawatt Diamer-Bhasha hydropower project being constructed on the Indus River along the boundary between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The meeting was attended by retired Brigadier Shoaib Taqi, deputy commissioner Tariq Ali Khan, Wapda director general (social safeguard) Tariq Mehmood, director (coordination) for Diamer-Bhasha project Rahim Shah, district administration officials, and notables from Harban-Bhasha.

Representatives of landowners thanked the DIG Hazara, the deputy commissioner and Wapda officials for releasing the compensation amount and pledged their complete support for the early completion of the 4,500MW Diamer-Bhasha Dam, saying the project will help address the country’s energy shortfall and bring prosperity to both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan regions.

ENCROACHMENTS REMOVED: The tehsil municipal administration on Friday cleared the right of way after removing temporary encroachments in Mansehra and its suburbs.

Acting on people’s complaints, a joint team of police and TMA officials launched an anti-encroachment drive and removed handcarts and makeshift structures obstructing traffic on Abbottabad Road, Shinkiari Road, Zafar Road and Kashmir Road.

Goods and stalls placed outside shops and business centres were also seized before being shifted to the TMA godown on Kashmir Road.

Mohammad Iqbal, head of TMA’s anti-encroachment unit, told reporters that the drive would continue until all handcarts and structures hampering traffic flow in the city and its suburbs were removed.

Meanwhile, a festival was held here on Friday to revive the traditional kabaddi game, attracting a record crowd from across the Hazara Division.

“We didn’t expect such a huge turnout for the kabaddi contest between Mansehra and Swabi teams, as this traditional game of human strength and technique has rapidly been vanishing from the sports arena in Hazara and other parts of the country,” District Kabaddi Association president Asim Shahzad told reporters at the New Balakot City ground.

Farhan Khan, a member of the kabaddi association, said that the festival was originally scheduled for Independence Day but was postponed due to the floods that claimed around 400 lives across the province.

Former MNA Salah Mohammad Khan distributed trophies to winning teams and players.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2025