Jobs sought for locals in Balakot hydropower project

MANSEHRA: The residents and local government representatives on Monday asked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to ensure the provision of employment to the local people in the Balakot hydropower project.

“This is the first mega energy project being built on the Kunhar River by the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation (Pedo), but locals are being denied employment opportunities, which is against the law,” Syed Munir Hussain Shah, chairman of the Bala Paras Village Council, told a meeting attended by members of affected families.

Members of the families, whose land was acquired for the dam, also said that they were going to constitute a committee consisting of dam-affected families to present their case at both public and private forums and safeguard their rights.

They added that local government representatives were united in their demand for the immediate resolution of issues related to land acquired for the dam and employment for the locals. “If the government does not address our concerns about land and employment, we will devise a strategy to take to the streets and block the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road for all vehicular traffic,” Munir Hussain warned.