Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) reached a consensus with the stakeholders including affectees of Dasu Hydropower Project relating to acquisition of land and infra-structure as well as social sector development in the project area, paving the way to smooth and speedy implementation of the project. The consensus was forged as a result of two-month detailed negotiations among the stakeholders, according to an official communiqué issued here on Thursday.
Subsequent to the signing of document by the stakeholders, Wapda Chairman Lieutenant General Muzammil Hussain (R) visited Dasu Hydropower Project on Thursday. He visited the dam site and also had a detailed round of the under construction right bank access road and the portion of Karakoram Highway in the project area to be relocated to witness the progress on these sites.
During the visit, the Chairman had a meeting with elders of the area and affectees of the project. Addressing the meeting, he appreciated the spirit of the stakeholders for reaching the consensus. He said Dasu Hydropower Project was of immense importance not only for generating a large quantum of electricity to stabilise the national economy but also for socio-economic uplift of the remote and backward areas of district Kohistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. He further said that consensus between Wapda and the affectees vis-à-vis acquisition of land would prove to be instrumental in removing the bottlenecks for implementing the project.
It is pertinent to mention that besides compensating the project affectees for their land and assets, a hefty amount of Rs 56.702 billion had also been earmarked for various uplift schemes in the project area including communication infrastructure, livelihood support, area development and improvement in education, power and public health sectors etc.
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