Mohmand dam: Project director coy on royalties

Dam officials meet with representatives of the Utmankhel tribe at a Jirga at the Munda headworks

SHABQADAR: Even as the project directors of the Mohmand Dam go around the tribal district addressing concerns of the affected residents, they remain coy on the provision of royalties to locals.

The latest in this was witnessed on Friday when dam officials met with representatives of the Utmankhel tribe at a Jirga at the Munda headworks near Charsadda.



During the Jirga, Mohmand Dam Project Director Maqbool Hussain repeated what had by now become a well-practised speech on assuring dam affectees that all their reservations will be addressed as per the directions of the Supreme Court. He told them that they were conducting a survey for building the dam and to determine how much land will be required to build it, including agricultural land, and how many people stand to be displaced.



He, however, was conspicuously silent about royalties from the dam.

Earlier, tribal leaders and youth activist Javid Jamil others said that while they welcome the construction of the dam in the larger interest of the nation, but demanded that the project director brief them about the dam site and the catchment area, the compensation they will be offered and rehabilitation measures for the affected.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29^th, 2018.