MANSEHRA: The people affected by the recent flash floods in the Dubair and Ranolia areas of Lower Kohistan on Thursday gave the Wapda and the federal government a three-day deadline to pay compensation to those who had died in the recent calamity.
“We want an immediate enforcement of the agreement reached between locals and Wapda in 2013, otherwise, we will not allow it to generate the electricity from Dubair and Ranolia hydropower projects,” former MPA Maulana Dildar told a protest demonstration in Dubair area of Lower Kohistan.
The elders and affected people from across Lower Kohistan participated in the protest and floated a 15-point charter of demands for immediate action.
The protesters also constituted a 32-members committee to take issues of people affected by the recent floods with Wapda and the government. “The families of four persons who were swept away by flood water in Dubair should be given the Shuhada package,” Maulana Dildar said.
He added that the roads, bridges and houses were swept away by the floodwater but the government was yet to initiate the rehabilitation process in affected areas.
“The families affected in floods in upper parts of Dubair valley and Ranolia have been facing challenges to their existence as epidemics have broken out and there is a scarcity of eatables,” Maulana Fazl Wahab, the tehsil chairman of Ranolia Bankhad, said.
He said that if the Wapda could have enforced its agreements reached with locals at the time of the launching of Dubair, Ranolia and Khayal Khawar hydropower projects there might be no such huge human and property losses.
They warned that they would come onto the streets on September 12 and announce their future line of action if the Wapda and government don’t accept their demands within three days.