Tremors jolt KP into action on Balakot project

ISLAMABAD: It took another earthquake to jolt Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government into reminding the forgotten victims of October 2005’s earthquake as KP’s top officials are meeting today to discuss the future of new Balakot City, still a non-starter as tremor threats loom on the old city.
Chief Secretary KP will meet with Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority’s officials to devise a mechanism for removing the barriers which already caused inordinate delay of seven years. Four billions have been spent in acquisition of land for new Balakot City and its development without vacating it from illegal occupants.
Balakot received the attention of the whole world when it was razed to ground during October 2005 earthquake and aid dollars started flowing into the government pockets. Since the city is located on the fault line, it was decided in 2007 to relocate it hence the project of new Balakot City was announced then.
The project has since been the victim of politics. Awami National Party that headed previous KP government was not interested in developing it since it didn’t fall into the Pushtun belt. The incumbent government of PTI is not keen either since the area is a stronghold of PML-N.
Even PML-N is not vigorously pursuing it as the credit would go to Pervez Musharraf who launched the project. Also, the role of local politics can’t be ruled as the relocation of the city is likely to shift the vote bank from one to another constituency.
Today’s meeting between Chief Secretary and Erra officials is a vivid reflection of adhocism at policy making level as many projects are put in the backburner unless implementation is necessitated by an emergency.
The Monday’s earthquake did what hundreds of letters from Erra to KP authorities couldn’t do wherein the former had requested the intervention of the latter for vacating the acquired land from the illegal occupants through police.
Instead of taking concrete actions, the provincial government kept buying time. More recently, an operation for clearing the area was deferred first due to the local bodies elections and then due to Moharram.
While Rs1.5 billion compensation of the land for the new city has been paid to the owners, the authorities have failed to acquire the designated land whereas the developers hired for the project are running into losses and the cost is escalating by the day. Another Rs2.5 billion has been spent on the development but illegal occupants have stalled further progress.Several meetings between Erra and KP government spanning five-year have failed to make any headway.