Mohmands continue protest sit-in for dam royalty

GHALLANAI: Presenting a charter of demands, the tribal people continued the protest sit-in and demanded payment of royalty and other compensation for their land that had lost to the project.

The demands came in a jirga-cum-protest sit-in of tribal elders of Essakhel, Burhankhel, Uthmankhel and Mullagori, political parties’ leadership and a large number of locals held outside the Mohmand Dam site.

Addressing the protest sit-in, tribal elder Malik Waris Khan, Malik Iqrar Khan, Safdar Khan and others said that elected public representatives must come forward and raise voice for the rights of the area

They also criticised the land acquisition process and demanded the rate of the land should be equal to that of the Basha Dam as well as the demarcation of dam land and land acquired for security purposes.

They pointed out that these mountains were natural grazing fields of their cattle, which were the main source of their income and livelihood while their labourers will be directly affected as most of the Burhankhel tribesmen business was related to construction stones, produced from the mountains.

They contended that after construction of the dam, these two businesses were completely finished as no alternate business was available for them. The elders also demanded that an industrial estate be established in the area and electricity be made available at the production rate, pure drinking water for the entire tribal district and all non-technical employment in the dam.

They asked the lawmakers to contact the dam officials and convey the demands of the tribesmen regarding land rate, electricity at low rate and establishment of industrial estate, and employment of all non-technical staff in the dam.

They added that a separate grid-station should be established for the lower Mohmand to ensure full voltage electricity.

All demands including electricity at subsidised rates, establishment of industrial estate, employment upto grade 15 to locals, development of health, education and communication works, provision of potable water to the entire Mohmand district should be fulfilled right now.