MANSEHRA: The district administration here has started acquiring land to relocate a basic health unit and two government high schools for boys and girls, which have been affected by the construction of the Suki Kinari hydropower station in the Kaghan Valley.

“We are expediting all formalities to relocate these public-sector buildings to alternative sites,” Balakot assistant commissioner Hasrat Khan told reporters after a meeting held at the deputy commissioner’s office here on Monday.

The meeting was chaired by the deputy commissioner and attended by representatives of education and health departments, as well as members of the local community from Paras area, where these buildings would be relocated.

The participants discussed the issues related to the relocation of public-sector buildings falling within land acquired by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation (Pedo) for the Suki Kinari project, which is the only energy project in the province completed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor initiative.

He said the district administration had now started acquiring land for the construction of the relocated schools and BHU in the nearby Paras area in the Kaghan Valley.

“Once the land is acquired after completing all legal formalities, Pedo will release funds to the district administration, which will then be transferred to the landowners’ accounts,” he said.

The Balakot assistant commissioner said the meeting also decided to ensure the early completion of land acquisition and the construction of the health and education facilities in the larger public interest.

The 880-megawatt Suki Kinari hydropower unit has been built at the Kunhar River, and the laying of the transmission lines to connect it with the national grid is in progress.

RESCUE 1122 SERVICES: Residents of Pulrah and surrounding areas on Monday urged the provincial government to resume Rescue 1122 services in Tanawal to provide emergency and firefighting assistance to the local population.

“The Rescue 1122 station was made operational in Pulrah but was wrapped up after a week of its operations, depriving the people of the widely-stretched Tanawal area of emergency and firefighting services,” Bukhtar Tanoli, a resident of Pulrah, told reporters.

Flanked by a group of residents, he said the people of four union councils of Pulrah tehsil, including Pulrah, Perhana, Sawan Mera, and Lassan Nawab, had been deprived of the vital rescue service.

He said the Rescue 1122 station was inaugurated in 2024 with an ambulance, but was shut down within a week without any valid reason.

“Pulrah is the tehsil headquarters, yet it lacks adequate emergency services, forcing residents to rely on departments based in Mansehra,” Mr Tanoli said.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2025