Proposed tourism hub: Landowners seek compensation as per market rate

MANSEHRA: Residents of Ghanool in Kaghan valley on Saturday demanded the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to pay them the market price for their land acquired for the proposed tourism hub.

“The government has acquired around 500 kanals of our land for the development of a tourism hub and has set a price that is significantly lower than the market rate, which is completely unacceptable to us,” Sajjadul Hameed, a local resident, told reporters.

A group of locals from the Patrang area of Ghanool made it clear that they would not sell their land to the government unless they were paid the actual market price.

“This beautiful and naturally enriched land is our primary source of income through agriculture, but the government imposed Section-IV in 2022 and has now moved to Section-IX, yet we have not received any payments,” Hameed said.

He added that under its tourism exploration initiative, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had acquired the land but had fixed prices far below the market rate.

“This area is as valuable as Shogran and Naran’s commercial lands, but the amount we are being offered is nothing more than a throwaway price, which is unacceptable,” he added.

Another local resident, Syed Maroof Shah, said that landowners had been protesting against the low prices set by the government since Section IV was imposed. “How is it possible for us to give away our fertile agricultural land for Rs275,000 per kanal while barren or mountainous pieces are being priced at Rs140,000 per kanal which is unjust,” he added.