ABBOTTABAD, Aug 25: The affected landowners of Patrind Hydropower Project (PHP), Abbottabad and Azad Kashmir, will receive price for their land in accordance with the market rates.

This assurance was given to a representative delegation of the affected people from Union Council Boi, Abbottabad, after a briefing held here on Thursday for information of the elected representatives of the project area.

Chief executive officer of the PHP Farrukh Javed gave the briefing, which was attended by MNA Mehtab Ahmed Khan, MPA Shamaun Yar Abbasi, Hazara Commissioner Khalid Khan Umerzai, Abbottabad DCO Zahirul Islam and land acquisition manager of the PHP Ali Shan.

The meeting was informed that the Wapda would also be approached to examine feasibility of the project while the PHP authorities would apprise the Wapda experts, elected representatives and the affected people of the project details at a briefing to be held at the project site soon to redress their grievances.

Earlier, giving details of the project, Mr Javed said that the PHP would be constructed by a Korean Water Resource and Power Company on build, operate and transfer (BoT) basis on Kunhar River on both sides of Abbottabad and AJK boundary in five years at an estimated cost of $300 million.

He said that the 147 megawatt electricity, to be generated from the project, would be supplied to the Mansehra grid station for further distribution. He said that a weir to be constructed over spillways of the dam would be used as a bridge connecting Abbottabad with Muzaffarabad to provide better communication facilities between the two cities. He said that in this way the project would also facilitate tourism activities in the area.

The PHP CEO said that successful implementation of the project would encourage initiation of other power generation projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which also included 840 MW power project of Suki Kinari on the same river.

MNA Mehtab Ahmed Khan said that since the people of the area were not fully aware of the benefits of the project, the authorities must remove their apprehensions through briefings. He was optimistic that the people would not oppose investment for a development project in their area. He, however, said that legitimate interests of the affected people should be protected.

Assuring protection of the interests of the landowners, the commissioner, who arranged the meeting of the stakeholders, said that the land would be acquired at the market price.