Upper Chitral residents protest govt failure to restore powerhouse

Addressing the protesters at Booni Chowk, president of the Tehreek, Mukhtar Ahmed Lal, criticized the provincial government for its utter failure in the restoration of the Reshun powerhouse. He said the 2015 floods damaged only 20 per cent of the powerhouse while the remaining 80pc was intact. But after the passage of over one year the government could not even start work on the restoration of the facility. In the meantime, he added, the construction of the small powerhouse by SRSP also remained incomplete. Senior leader of the Tehreek, Rehmat Salam, said the DC Chitral had himself told a delegation that he had Rs850 million for distribution among the affected people.  Now the DC should tell the nation where the 850 million rupees have gone, he said. Speaking on the occasion, president of the Nazimeen Forum upper Chitral, Muhammad Pervez Lal, said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his visit to Chitral in July 2015 had categorically announced to waive all agricultural loans in the calamity-hit district. He said on May 26 this year, the MNA Chitral told a public gathering in Mastuj that due to his efforts the agricultural loans had been waived. He had also said that the Micro Finance Bank would also waive the agricultural loans. He had even said that if the Micro Finance Bank did not write the loans he would pay the amount to the bank from his own pocket. But now all the bank officials have started pressuring the people to return their loans or face police cases. He warned that if the police take any action against the residents, the people would state a sit-in against the MNA. Another senior Tehreek leader Sujauddin Lal said regretted that the SRSP despite making promises had failed to complete work on the powerhouse for Booni. He said the NGO should keep its words and complete the powerhouse by December this year. Vor Muhammad, the village council nazim of Parwak, also criticized the provincial government for its failure to rebuild the Reshun powerhouse. He said that the KP government even could not properly made its own local government system functional. Muxgol VC nazim Ghulam Sarwar said that NGSs, including the SRSP, did not come to the help of the people when the area was hit by calamities last year. He said if the NGOs are unable to extend a helping hand to the affected people, they should leave the area. Retired Sub-Major Qurban Ali of Booni said that some people in Booni misguided the district administration by informing the DC that all the quake-hit people had been paid compensation and the funds should be spent on development activities. Due to this, he added, hundreds of quake-hit people remained without compensation.]]>