Rs116b for Diamer-Basha Dam land acquisition
ISLAMABAD- The government on Thursday approved 51 development schemes with a total cost of Rs 262.4 billion including land acquisition project for multi-billion dollars Diamer Basha Dam.
The Central Development Working Party, chaired by Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Salman Faruqi, cleared Diamer Bash Dam land acquisition and resettlement scheme with a cost of Rs 116 billion.
The dam would be built on Indus River and after completion will have an annual 6.4 million acres feet surface water storage capacity, which would supplement irrigation supplies during low flow periods.
It will also harness renewable source of clean and cheap energy through installed capacity of 4500 megawatts and reduce dependence on thermal power, hence, saving foreign exchange. The total estimated cost of the project is over US $ 8 billion and it would pay back its cost in ten years.
A Planning Commission official said 99 per cent land of the mega dam is located in Northern Areas and only one per cent power area would be in North West Frontier Province.
“Today the government has initiated the single largest project of Pakistan in terms of cost”, said the PC spokesman Asif Sheikh in a press conference. The project will be completed without foreign assistance. The funding of the project has remained a major concern, as World Bank has reportedly refused to provide money due to strong Indian lobby on its Board of Directors.
Courtesy: The Nation
It is good news for the affecties whose land will be inundated by the dam, but the people of Gilgit-Baltistan should not just settle for compensation of their brethren in Diamer. 95% of the land inundated by the dam would be diamer district and hence the royalty of the dam should go the area. Some nationalist in NWFP are raising hue and cry about the royalty being the right of their province. The people of the area must show unity and should not forsake their rights.
this project is 99% situated in northren area (gilgit and bultistan) therefore in title basha is excluded from project due to a strong damand of area people.after the completion of project the reality i and jobs are main problems of project.but unfortunatly the NWFP bereaucaracy is pressuris the authorities for title basha name as tool include for future reality but anther side the nothern area is totally neglected for sixty years so authorities shoud notice this sensitive issue.otherwise the already disputed area will be lossed if pakistani authoreties ponder over on demand of area people.