MANSEHRA: The Chinese company executing the Dasu hydropower project in Upper Kohistan district on Saturday denied sending its Pakistani workers on forced leave.

“A notification circulating on social media has falsely claimed that we [our company] have instructed our Pakistani workers to go home on leave due to a dispute between Wapda and the local community. The notification is bogus,” a representative of the China Gezhouba Group Company told Dawn.

He said work on the World Bank-funded project was in full swing.

The firm’s representative, however, said the allied community development initiatives, including establishment of schools, launch of water schemes, and extension of the Karakoram Highway, had been stalled since their sites in theSaglu area were stormed by landowners early this week to protest against the Wapda over the breach of mutual agreement.

Claims work in full swing

Maulana Waliullah Tohidi, a leader of protesters, said the people, whose land was acquired by Wapda for the dam project in 2016, hadn’t been paid due payments, while the schools, roads and water schemes hit by the project also awaited reconstruction.

He said Upper Kohistan deputy commissioner Tariq Khan and district police officer Mukhtar Khan Tanoli held talks with protesters and promised that work on the project would remain suspended, but they didn’t keep that promise, with the local and Chinese workers continuing with their duties as usual.

“We [landowners] will continue with our protest until Wapda meets our demands,” he said.

ROAD MISHAP CLAIMS LIFE: A young man was killed and four suffered critical injuries when a passenger jeep they travelled in fell into a deep ravine in the Oghi area here on Saturday.

The accident occurred when the driver lost control of the jeep while negotiating a sharp turn on the way from Oghi to the Chatta area.

The locals shifted the injured to the tehsil hospital where doctors declared Mohammad Aslam dead and referred the injured passengers to the Ayub Medical Complex Abbottabad due to critical condition.

Meanwhile, the Oghi police arrested a timber smuggler after seizing a large number of logs.

The wood was taken into custody during a “search and strike operation,” according to Oghi SHO Gul Nawaz Khan.

He told reporters that the detainee, Safiuddin, along with seized logs was shifted to the police station.

The SHO also said that resident Abdul Hakeem was arrested in the area after the recovery of an unlicensed rifle and cartridges in a raid.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2024