Establishing 'new Balakot city': KP Assembly panel takes notice of delay

Standing Committee of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on the rehabilitation of the earthquake affectees of district Mansehra has taken stern notice of long delay in the establishment of New Balakot, Bakriyal city for the rehabilitation and re-settlement of the earthquake affectees.
The committee stressed need for the utilization of all available resources for the early completion of the project. It has also directed the district administration for retrieving 2700 kanal land allocated for the project from either former owners or occupants. The meeting of the committee was held in Abbottabad with chairman, MPA Mohammad Ali in the chair. Those who attended the meeting included the MPAs: Mian Zia-ur-Rehman, Sardar Zahoor Khan, Bakht Baidar Khan, Nasim Hayat Khan; D.I.G Hazara Saeed Khan, Additional Secretary, Provincial Assembly, Ghulam Sarwar, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mansehra, District Police Officer (DPO), Tehsil Nazim, Balakot, Deputy Secretary, Law Department, In-charge ERRA and officials of other concerned departments.
The committee expressed concern that some parts of the 2700 Kanal land allocated for the construction of New Balakot City at Bakriyal district Mansehra was still under the occupation of former owners resulting in the delay of the project. The owners of land had already received the price for their land.
The chairman of the standing committee, Mohammad Ali said that several meetings have been held regarding New Balakot city, but no progress has been made on the project. He directed the district administration for evacuation of the awarded land within two weeks and hand it over to ERRA and take stern action in this regard.
He said that there is no justification for holding negotiations with the occupants as they had already received the price of their land and the decision was taken by the government in the larger interest of the earthquake affectees. On this occasion, the representatives of ERRA assured that in case of the availability of land, work on the project will start with immediate effect.
The chairman, standing committee, announced that a review meeting on the implementation of the decision of the committee will be held on February 23, 2017 at Assembly Secretariat, Peshawar. The chairman of the committee and members later visited the New Balakot City Bakriyal and inspected the status of the project.