MIRPUR:
Representatives of people affected by the Mangla Dam, the Young Action Forum (YAF) accused the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government of delaying tactics in the dispensation of the rehabilitation package on Saturday.
YAF Secretary General Sardar Attique Sadozai told The Express Tribune that the affected people had called off their protest after assurances by AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed that the package would be implemented on time.
Majeed had committed that each family affected by Mangla Dam would receive Rs2 lakh, Sadozai pointed out. The commitment was not upheld, he added.
“The people were forced to shift to incomplete houses and are now living in rented homes. As a consequence, the affected people are facing an additional financial burden,”he said.
He further alleged that despite the government’s claims, the newly constructed houses including the New Mirpur City project lacks basic facilities.
Protestors criticised Wapda and the Mangla Dam Resettlement Organisation for their negligence and failure in ensuring the rehabilitation of thousands of dislocated people, due to
rising water levels in the reservoir.
Sadozai alleged that the affected people had only been partially compensated by the two organisations. He pointed out that Wapda has already started test filling the Mangla Dam reservoir.
Sadozai alleged that partial payment of compensation to displaced families by Wapda and the state-run Mangla Dam Resettlement Organisation has forced the affected people to protest against “the insincere policies of the AJK government regarding rehabilitation”.
Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani is expected to visit the region on Monday to lay the foundation stone of Asia’s largest bridge – the Meeran Shah bridge between Mirpur and Islamgarh.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 11th, 2012.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ