Hundreds of landowners and tenants from Kaghan Valley on Monday threatened to resist land acquisition and construction of Suki Kinari Hydro Power Project (SKHPP) unless their concerns were allayed.
Led by Qari Hameedur Rehman — head of the action committee of affectees — land owners, tenants and villagers from different parts of the valley gathered in Balakot to discuss the socio-economic impacts of the SKHPP on the local population.
In their addresses, speakers said they were in favour of the project as they believed it would enable the government to overcome the energy crisis.
However, keeping in view past experiences of Tarbela Dam and other government-supported projects, they have apprehensions regarding payment of compensation to land owners and tenants, the rehabilitation of affected villagers and the provision of facilities which they are entitled to under the law.
Rehman said the land being acquired for the project houses graves of their ancestors, schools, mosques, houses and above all agricultural land which is their only source of income. He said they would not allow the government to acquire their land or even carry out a survey till the compensation and rehabilitation plan was shared with locals and they were taken into confidence.
“No one would be allowed to take over the land by force or impose the compensation package of their liking,” warned Mian Manzoor Hussain, a land owner.
Mushtaq Ahmed, another potential victim of the project, said the administration must make the compensation plan public and then start survey and construction work by taking the local communities on board. Otherwise, he said, the area’s people would not allow any kind of activity at the project site and the responsibility would lie on the shoulders of the administration.
Mian Muhammad Ashraf, Ehjaz Ahmed, Muhammad Nawaz and Qari Fazalur Rehman were among the prominent ones who addressed the gathering.
Earlier in May, villagers to be affected by the SKHPP protested in Balakot and blocked Kaghan Highway for around two hours. Police resorted to baton charge to disperse them, injuring several protesters. Police also arrested nine protesters under sections 341, 353, 427, 506, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code. On Sunday evening, villagers again surrounded Balakot police station, forcing the police to again resort to shelling and baton charge.
Hazara commissioner and Suki Kinari Hydro Power Project executive director had signed the agreement deed in April on behalf of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government and the project’s authorities, respectively.
According to the agreement deed, the divisional administration would ensure the acquisition of 4,418 kanals of land, which included 1,200 kanals of reserved forest and 30 kanals of the state’s land. On behalf of the provincial government, the commissioner of Hazara assured full cooperation and support for smooth execution of the project.
Fed by melting snow on the Kunhar River in Kaghan Valley, SKHHP will have a generation capacity of 870 megawatts (MW). The study for this project was carried out renowned international consultants like Chas T Main, Montreal Engineering Company Limited, NESPAK and GTZ (Germany) from 1960 to 2005 when the government advertised for development in the private sector.
The feasibility study for the project was finally conducted through Mott MacDonald Ltd, shared insiders. Its expected date of completion is August 2020, they added.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 16th, 2014.
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