Residents affected by Mirani Dam still not compensated

Senate body irked over absence of Wapda chairman from meeting

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources on Thursday discussed the issue of the non-payment of compensation money to the residents affected by the construction of the Mirani Dam in Balochistan.

The committee, which met with Senator Shamim Afridi in the chair, also expressed its displeasure over the absence of the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) chairman and the planning Commission secretary from its meeting and decided to issue show-cause notices to them.

Senator Mir Kabeer said the Balochistan government had to release a sum of Rs1 billion for the residents affected by the construction of the dam but not a single penny had been handed over to them so far.

Balochistan Implementation Secretary Zafar Bukhari told the Senate panel that the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) had linked the payment with third-party evaluation.

The committee recommended that Ecnec should withdraw the condition of third party evaluation so the amount could be disbursed among the affected residents.

The committee also directed the provincial government to submit a proposal to Ecnec for this purpose.

Senator Sassui Palijo noted that Sindh was not properly being represented in the Indus River System Authority (Irsa), adding that the province should have two members in the body.

She alleged that the province was being kept in the dark about the construction of Sindh Barrage. She noted that the Wapda chairman had not attended the meeting. Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda told the committee that the Wapda chairman was absent because he had undergone knee surgery.

The committee postponed the briefing on Sindh Barrage until the Wapda chairman’s participation in its next huddle.

The participants of the meeting also discussed the land lost due to sea intrusion in coastal areas, the Yatabad Spate Irrigation Scheme in Dukki district and the feasibility of irrigation of Zhob division through Indus River.

Senators Agha Shahzaib Durrani, Ahmad Khan, Mir Muhammad Yousaf Badini, the Water Resources secretary, the Irsa chairman, and other senior officials were also present in the meeting.

A day earlier, Vawda said the appointment of an additional member from Sindh to Irsa was not covered under the IRSA Act, 1992 as each province could only nominate one member.

He added that the Chief Executive Order of 2000, granting Sindh the favour of nominating a federal member in addition to the one already appointed by it, was unauthorised and illegal as the Irsa Act was not accordingly amended in the light of Martial Law era executive order.

“The order has already been suspended by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which allowed the federal government to nominate its own member on Irsa to ensure neutrality and credibility of the regulatory authority,” he maintained.

Taking strong exception of the statement of the Sindh chief minister on the issue of nominating an additional member to Irsa, the minister said Punjab had strong reservations over the presence of two members from Sindh at Irsa, while none represented the Federation.

 

(With additional input from APP.)