Affectees of Reshun powerhouse seek relief

CHITRAL: The office-bearers of Organization of Reshun Powerhouse Affectees on Tuesday asked the government to provide relief to the local residents, who had suffered economic losses due to the construction of the hydropower house.

Speaking at a press conference, the office-bearers, including Syed Sardar Hussain Shah, Sahibur Rahman, Dr Wali, Abdur Rab, Abdul Ghaffar, Shahzada Munir and others said that 42 megawatts powerhouse was constructed in Rishin in 1992, which inflicted losses to the local dwellers in terms of economic and health but the government turned a blind to these issues.

They said that the government had promised to provide relief to the local residents but did nothing practical to facilitate them.The elders said that their thousands of acres of land had turned barren due to construction of a dam at a high altitude from the Reshun village and now they were suffering huge economic losses.

They alleged that debris flowed into the stream in Reshun during the construction of a tunnel for the powerhouse, which raised the bed of the nullah that posed a potential threat to the dwellers in case of flooding in the area.