Diamer-Bhasha affectees get first instalment for temporary housing

Wapda to provide for interim accommodation apart from payment for a permanent township.

LAHORE: The first instalment to construct temporary housing facilities has been handed over to families whose lands were acquired to build the 4,000MW Diamer-Bhasha Dam in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Cheques were delivered on Thursday to families in Thor Valley in G-B’s Diamer district by Dr Raheal Ahmad Siddiqui, general manager (land acquisition and resettlement) at the Water and Development Authority, and Shoukat Hussain Bhatti, the general manager of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam Project (DBDP).

In a meeting on February 21, Wapda had decided to provide temporary housing facilities to all affected families in Thor Valley. The facility is in additional to the full payment for land and establishment of permanent townships in five years. The temporary accommodation covers construction of a one-bedroom residence, and will be paid in three instalments.

Wapda is also planning to establish veterinary camps in various valleys of the Diamer district by the end of this month and the construction of a girls’ school in Chillas has also been started. The school will be run by locals, to ensure employment.