MANSEHRA, May 15: Scores of landowners from Bakrial – the site for the New Balakot City -- reached the spot on Thursday and stopped the ongoing work on the project.

They threatened that if the National Engineering Services Pakistan (Nespak) did not stop work, they would set bulldozers and other machines on fire. Following the threat, the Nespak stopped work on the project.

“We have made it clear many time that if the government tried to snatch our agriculture land, we will resist the New Balakot City project with forces,” said one of the landowners.

The new city is being built for the victims of the devastating earthquake of October 8, 2005. President Musharraf had inaugurated the Rs12 billion project last year, following which the Nespak started construction of roads, streets, schools, health centres and other basic civic infrastructure. The new city would cover 14,000-kanal area that includes 7,000-kanal land of the forest department.

The landowners stopped the labourers and drivers of the bulldozers and other machines. However, the district administration asked the Nespak to stop the work till further order as a result the work was suspended.

Later, Mansehra District Coordinator Officer (DCO) Israr Khan and District Police Officer Akhtar Hayat Gandapur called a meeting of the landowners. The DCO asked them not to interfere in the ongoing construction work as they had already received compensation for land. “It is a charity work as the earthquake survivors of the red-zone, Balakot and Garlat, would be settled here,” he reportedly told them.

Speaking on the occasion, the landowners said that they would never give their farming land to the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) for the establishment of the new city as they did not have any alternative land for cultivation to earn their living. It was unjust to make some people homeless while giving others residences, they said. The meeting ended with scuffles between two groups of the landowners as one group was reportedly favouring the official point of view and the other was against it.

TEHSIL COUNCIL DEMAND: The Tehsil Council Balakot has demanded of the federal government to extend the house-survey date from June 30 to December 30.

Thousands of earthquake survivors had so far not received the basic housing compensation: Rs25,000, said a resolution presented in the house. The session was held on Thursday with convener Raja Mohammad Yusuf in the chair. Through various resolutions, the house demanded of the government to eliminate the miseries of the affected families.

Speaking on the occasion, union naib nazims and councillors expressed their anger over the performance of NGOs in the quake-hit region, alleging that they were not working according to their mandate and spent most of the funds on ‘luxurious’ lifestyle.

The councillors also demanded of the Pesco and PTCL to provide power and telephone services to the consumers in the area.