52 NWFP villages affected by Warsak Dam claim royalty

Residents of 52 villages affected by Warsak Dam on Thursday demanded payment of 10 percent royalty and price of 345 acres of land since 1960 as agreed with the government of Pakistan in July 1951.
Addressing a press conference here, Chairman, executive council of Volunteer Movement of Warsak Dam Affectees, Arbab Shehryar Khan Khalil demanded of both federal and provincial governments to pay royalty since 1960 along with other incentives and price of the land awarded for the project.
In case of failure of the government in acceptance of their demands, he said, the movement had declined to deposit power bills and taxes and vowed not to hesitate from rendering any kind of sacrifice for their rights.
Giving detailed chronology of their struggle, Arbab Shehryar said that the British government in 1945 started a survey of the Warsak Dam and after the creation of Pakistan work on the project was started with the co-operation of Canada.
An ownership dispute was also erupted among three tribes of Mohmand Turakzai, Mullagori and Khalil resulting in halt of the project, which was resolved in 1949 after signing a written agreement by then commissioner, deputy commissioner and political agent, Khyber Agency.
According to the agreement, 50 percent royalty of the dam was given to Mohamed Turakzai, 40 percent to Khyber Agency and 10 percent to settled areas of Peshawar district. In the agreement, it was also mentioned that the people residing in radius of 10 miles/square would get free of cost electricity and one paisa per unit royalty on electricity.
The three tribes would also get their shares in employment, contracts and commission with the same proportion.
He said, although, the government had signed an agreement with them, but since last 46 years, they had been deprived of their due right of 10 percent royalty and billions of rupees had been pending against them. He said the affected people were still awaiting payment of their land acquired for the project.
Arbab Shehryar recalled that before the construction of the dam, the area was having an exemplary irrigation system and was known for producing to quality of different fruits and was a big mean of earning for the people.
The construction of dam not only deprived the people of the fertile agricultural land, but graves of their ancestors were also come under the water. "Now the area of those green gardens presenting a scene of water ponds and Wapda, instead of launching welfare schemes, has closed down the already running schools," he lamented.
The dam victims, he said had formed a volunteer movement under the banner of Khidmatgar Qaumi Jirga, which had held meeting with the concerned MNAs and MPAs and provincial ministers, but all such efforts remained fruitless. Before 1962, he said the Wapda was a provincial subject, but under then One-Unit it was now managed by federal government.
He said neither federal nor provincial governments were ready to pay them their due right of royalty, adding the provincial government was receiving a handsome amount of Rs 6 billion annually as royalty from the federal government, but denying to pay it to the victims of the Warsak Dam.
Speaking on the occasion, President of the Jirga, Rambil Khan said that the organisation was non-political and believed in peaceful resolution of the matters.