MANSEHRA, Nov 23: The people of Kohistan on Friday presented an 18-point charter of demands to the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) for the resumption of land survey in the area for 4320MW Dassu Hydropower Project.

“We have made it clear to Wapda high-ups that until they accept our demands, we’ll not allow the land survey and any other work in the area,” MPA Abdul Sattar Khan told reporters here.

The people of Dassu, the district headquarters of Kohistan, had stopped the Wapda teams from surveying the area last month.

Mr Abdul Sattar said the people of Kohistan were not opposed to the mega hydropower project to be carried out on the Indus River in Dassu but they wanted their demands to be met before the resumption of work on it.

He said local residents wanted 100 per cent increase in their land to be acquired for the project, free electricity for people of Kohistan after the project’s completion, jobs for them in the project and establishment of health, education and technical institutes.—Correspondent