Wapda to pay Rs4b to Upper Kohistan for dam’s land

MANSEHRA: The Water and Power Development Authority has finalized arrangements to transfer Rs 4 billion to the Upper Kohistan District Administration’s account to clear outstanding payments for over 18,000 kanals of land acquired for the Diamer-Bhasha Dam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

“The WAPDA chairman held discussions with a delegation from Harban Bhasha and announced an immediate resolution of all outstanding issues faced by the affectees of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam in Upper Kohistan,” Assadullah Qurashi, the chairman of Harban Bhasha Tehsil in Upper Kohistan, told reporters on Wednesday.

He said that WAPDA Chairman Left-Gen (Retd) Sajjad Ghani met a committee representing the Harban Bhasha affectees and announced redress to all outstanding issues, prompting a two-week-long sit-in along the Karakoram Highway earlier this month.

“The chairman announced the transfer of Rs 4 billion, which will be distributed among the landowners of Harban Bhasha, a region in Upper Kohistan located between KP and Gilgit-Baltistan,” Qureshi said.

The tehsil chairman, who led the delegation during their meeting with the WAPDA chairman at Boshi-Das Pao China Camp in Upper Kohistan, confirmed that all seven demands of the affectees were accepted.

“WAPDA will also construct a tehsil headquarters hospital, a complex for offices, and a higher secondary school after the issuance of no-objection certificates by the KP departments of Health, Local Government, and Education,” Qureshi said.

He said that the chairman agreed to install a potable water supply scheme that would transport water from a distance of 10 kilometers to serve the residents of Aushgardas, a region spanning over 55,000 kanals. “WAPDA will also build an electric turbine to supply electricity to the residents of Harban Bhasha as per an agreement reached between the authority and the landowners,” Qureshi said.