Govt urged to develop New Balakot City project

MANSEHRA: The earthquake affectees of red-zone in Balakot on Sunday demanded the government to develop the New Balakot City housing project and transfer plots in their names.

“We have still been living a miserable life in makeshift shelters and this mega house project is yet to be developed even after its groundbreaking some 17 years ago,” Junaid Alam Khan Advocate told reporters in Balakot.

Flanked by a group of affectees, he said that former president Pervez Musharraf had inaugurated the Rs13 billion mega housing project in the 2007 to settle survivor families of red-zone. However, no practical work was initiated on the project after its inauguration, he added.

“Our courts and all offices are still running in makeshift structures but this housing project is yet to be completed,” Junaid Khan added.He said that the residents of Balakot and Garlat union councils, which fall in the red-zone, were still living in makeshift shelters and demanded an immediate allotment of their plots in their names.

“The development of this housing project which was suspended eight years ago couldn’t be resumed despite assurance by the different governments,” he added.He said the Supreme Court of Pakistan had also ordered both federal and provincial governments to complete the project and allot plots to survivor families some almost eight years ago but to no avail.