MIRPUR, May 5: Construction work for raising of Mangla Dam will begin in July and this project will cost estimated Rs64 billion to complete by the end of year 2007. This was stated by the commissioner Mangla Dam affairs of the Azad Jammu Kashmir government, Engineer Chaudhry Amir Afzal, while speaking to APP here on Wednesday.

Tender notices, he said, had been served and evaluation of the received tenders was under way at present. After the evaluation, work order to the qualifying companies might be issued any time next month. "But formal work on the project will begin in July this year," the commissioner said.

At least 45,000 people, comprising 8,000 families in Mirpur district, would be affected by this project, he said and added, but and a broad-based rehabilitation process was also being launched simultaneously with the construction of the dam.

Special teams, he said, would evaluate private immoveable properties, including houses, shops and agricultural and residential lands in Mirpur, Islamgarh, Chakswari and Dadyal and submit their recommendations to the AJK government for facilitating rehabilitation of the affected families.

Amir Afzal said two years had been fixed to evaluate private and public properties. "After this process, the families concerned would be paid handsome relief amounts to build their houses on the land to be allotted in the proposed New Mirpur City and four new towns being carved out in Islamgarh, Chakswari, Siakh and Dadayal towns in the district."

He said people would be given six months to one year for constructing their houses. The commissioner said a site for New Mirpur City had been selected at the adjoining Tarrupa valley spreading over 1,300 acres of land adjacent to existing Mirpur city and for four new towns being planned at Islamgarh, Chakswari, Siakh and Dadyal.

Wapda, he said, would undertake and supervise the establishment of the new city and towns. Amir Afzal said the project would be executed by the federal government from its own resources under an agreement.