Dassu hydropower project: Official says 9,000-acre land acquisition in progress

MANSEHRA: Upper Kohistan Deputy Commissioner Arif Khan Yousafzai has said that the district administration is acquiring over 9000 acres of land for 4300 megawatts Dassu hydropower project.

“We have been facing some issues in the acquisition of land as Upper Kohistan, where this dam is being built, an unsettled area as for as land is concerned but even then we have successfully acquired 730 acres of land and the construction work is well underway,” Yousafzai told reporters on Thursday.

The official said since he assumed office a month ago, there were hurdles in the acquisition of the land for the mega energy project but he settled all those outstanding issues through local jirga and now work was in progress on the site.

“I know jirga system is very much powerful in Kohistan and I have settled land issues with locals through jirga,” he added.

The official said the project would not only bring about revolutionary economic and social changes in the lives of the locals but also would meet the electricity shortfall in the country. The official said that as district collector revenue he had finalised the 15th award and initiated 16th award of land acquisition and as formal approval received by the executive committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) both would be enforced.

The Ecnec in its meeting held in Islamabad earlier this month had approved revised land acquisition cost for Dassu hydropower project to Rs37 billion and landowners who were on protest demanding increase in prices ended their two-week-long sit-in.