Manchora Dam: People demand payment for lands acquired for dam project

MANSEHRA: The Manchora Dam affectees took to the streets on Sunday to demand the release of payment for their lands acquired for the project since in 2016.

“We have been holding protest demonstrations for the last several years seeking payments for our land acquired for this irrigation-cum-electricity project but to no avail,” Alamzeb Khan, the chairman of the Action Committee of the dam’s affectees, told the protesters at the dam site in Oghi on Sunday.

The protesters, who had gathered there, raised slogans in support of the demands and against the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and federal governments, which, according to them, didn’t release their payments.

Alamzeb Khan said the government officials and local lawmakers who visited them during their protests in the past had assured them of an early release of the payments but the assurance was never honoured.

“The government has acquired thousands of kanals of our agriculture land depriving us of the livelihoods and is now hesitant to complete this project on time and release our payments,” Samar Gul, another leader of the committee, said.

He said the government had acquired thousands of kanals of land in the Agror and Tanawal areas but neither completed the project nor released them the amounts.

“If our land price is not released within a week, we will hold protests outside the prime minister’s residence in Banigala,” said Samar Gul.