Golen Gol project: Affected people warn of strike

CHITRAL, April 19: People affected from the construction of the Golen Gol hydropower project near Koghuzi have warned the government that in case their land compensations were not cleared by April 23, they will start an indefinite sit-in against WAPDA on the approach road to the site. Flanked by the leaders of PML-N Mohammad Younus and Mohammad Kausar Chughtai advocate here on Friday, the affectees including Altaf Khan, Khurshid Hussain and Haji Amanullah said WAPDA was employing delaying tactics to pay their compensation for their lands acquired for the project. They said two years ago, the lands were acquired after proper procedures by the revenue officials but the executing agency of the project, Wapda, did not pay them even a penny of compensation which lead to their troubles. They alleged that the project director was responsible for all this mess which led to their miseries as they had lost all their cultivable land to the project and they possessed no source of sustenance. The affected people warned that they will go to any extent to achieve their right by lodging their protest as they had crippled economically by the organization.–Zahiruddin  ]]>