PESHAWAR, May 13: The NWFP government has released Rs219.9 million for distribution among the families affected by the Tarbela Dam project in line with the federal government’s directives, sources told Dawn.
The sources said the federal government had taken the step to avoid cancellation of the World Bank loan to the multi-billion dollar Ghazi Barotha Hydro Power Project.
The Ministry of Water and Power, in its letter dated April 5, had asked the NWFP government to ensure early distribution of compensation funds, they added.
The provincial government took a prompt action on the ministry’s letter, and sanctioned the release of over Rs219.9 million for distribution, the sources added.
The sources said the ministry had asked the provincial government to ensure early disbursement of the funds because the World Bank was considering cancellation of its loan to the Ghazi Barotha Hydropower Project due to authorities failure to resolve the re-settlement of families affected by the construction of Tarbela Dam who were still waiting for the compensation money.
The Rs219.9 million funds have jointly been pooled by the federal government, the Water and Power Development Authority and the governments of Sindh and the NWFP to settle the issue once and for all — after well over 25 years of the completion of Tarbela Dam.
The compensation money would be distributed in lieu of agriculture land vacated by the people for the dam project.
Out of Rs219.9 million, the federal government, the Sindh government and Wapda have each contributed Rs65.33 million, while the NWFP has raised Rs24 million, the sources added.
Resettlement or payment of compensation money to over 1,700 families affected by the Tarbela Dam project forms a precondition of the World Bank loan of $350 million for the Ghazi Barotha Hydropower project.
“In line with the federal government’s instructions, the provincial finance department sanctioned the release of Rs219.9 million on April 5, last — the day the federal ministry issued instructions,” the sources said.
Out of the total amount released, a sum of Rs168 million has been placed with the Haripur district government, while the remaining amount of over Rs51 million has been released to the Mansehra district government for distribution among the affected families living in their respective areas.
The district collectors of the two districts have been instructed by the provincial authorities to pay compensation according to the approved action plan.
They have also been instructed to distribute the funds after strictly fulfilling all formalities required under the audit and account rules.
From the funds placed at its disposal, the Haripur district government would distribute Rs146 million among 1,359 affected families at the rate of Rs107,500 each and an amount of Rs3.86 million among those 40 families who had deposited advance money for the allotment of state land purchased in Sindh three decades ago.
Each of the 40 families, the sources said, would get 20 times more than the money they had deposited to get the state land in line with the then federal government’s policy of resettling the affected people.