Victims of Dasu dam stage protest in Upper Kohistan

MANSEHRA: The families affected by the 4300 megawatts Dasu hydropower project on Thursday staged a sit-in against the Wapda in Zal area of the Upper Kohistan.

“The Wapda has acquired our land for dumping gravels and other construction materials and parking dumpers and trucks but didn’t pay us its prices even after four years of its acquisition by the district administration,” Malik Fazlur Rehman, a local elder, told reporters.

The people from different areas staged the sit-in and raised slogans against Wapda and in support of their demands.

“We would not end our ongoing protest until our demands are met and payments of our land acquired for the construction material is paid to us,” said Malik Rehman.

Another elder, Inayatur Rehman, said that the land was acquired by the district administration some almost four years ago and they repeatedly took up the issue with the deputy commissioner and Wapda’s high-ups but to no avail.

“The heavy dumpers and trucks moving in the area also destroyed our standing crops and water resources but no compensation money is paid as yet,” he added.

The local elder said that neither the district administration nor the Wapda was ready to release the price of their land.