Agreement: Consensus reached on land acquisition for Dasu project

WAPDA chairman says this should pave way for smooth completion

LAHORE: In a bid to ensure speedy completion of the Dasu Hydropower project, Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) has reached a consensus with stakeholders over land acquisition issues.

The consensus regarding land acquisition and infrastructure as well as social sector development in the project area should pave the way for a smooth implementation of the project.

The consensus was a result of a two-month detailed negotiation among various stakeholders.

Subsequent to the signing of document by the stakeholders, Wapda Chairman Lieutenant General Muzammil Hussain (R) visited Dasu Hydropower Project site and also took a detailed round of the construction to witness the progress.

During the visit, the chairman had a meeting with elders of the area and affected people of the project.

Addressing the meeting, he appreciated the spirit of the stakeholders for reaching the consensus. He said that Dasu Hydropower project is of immense importance for generating a large quantum of electricity to stabilise the national economy and also for the socio-economic uplift of remote areas of the Kohistan district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

He further said that the consensus between Wapda officials and the affected people regarding acquisition of land will prove to be instrumental in removing the bottlenecks for implementing the project.

It is pertinent to mention that besides compensating affected people for their land and assets, a hefty amount of Rs56.702 billion has also been earmarked for various uplift schemes in the project area including communication infrastructure, livelihood support and improvement  power sector.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th, 2016.

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