Land rates: Kohistan residents threaten to protest against Dasu Dam

Will not handover land to WAPDA until concerns addressed, says MPA Abdul Sattar.

PESHAWAR: Residents of Kohistan on Tuesday threatened to protest against the Dasu Dam project if their concerns are not addressed.

Dismayed by the government’s apathy, activists from the district led by MPA Abdul Sattar Khan held a news conference at Peshawar Press Club. Speaking on the occasion, Khan said residents of Kohistan agreed to swallow the bitter pill of displacement for the larger interest of the country, but Wapda and the federal government are least bothered about their plight. He said the hydropower project, which aims to resolve Pakistan’s perennial energy crises, has only added to the woes of those affected by the project.



Khan said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attended the ground-breaking ceremony of the multibillion dollar project, but turned a deaf ear to the hue and cry of locals.

He added an 18-point agenda has already been tabled with the authorities but affectees still await action. Khan said the government is paying peanuts for land acquisition in comparison to market rates. He said the provincial government is trying its best to broker a solution, but the scope of authority exceeds its jurisdiction.

“We want to make it clear. Our demands should be addressed; otherwise, we will be compelled to agitate and never handover our property to Wapda,” the MPA warned.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2015.