MANSEHRA: Taking notice of the three-day blockade of the Karakoram Highway (KKH), the district administration of Lower Kohistan on Friday directed the Hazara Electric Supply Company (Hazesco) to ensure the early supply of electricity to consumers from the Dubair Khawar Hydropower Project.
“If Wapda signed an agreement with the residents of Kohistan in 2015, it should honour its commitment. Electricity could have been supplied from the local hydropower project, but that has not happened. As a result, passengers travelling within the district and between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan have been suffering due to this breach of commitment,” Zuhaib Hayat, the deputy commissioner of Lower Kohistan, told a meeting attended by officials of Hazesco, police and other departments.
The district administration summoned the superintending engineer of Hazesco to the deputy commissioner’s office in the presence of the district police officer and sought the company’s response regarding the supply of electricity to consumers in Lower Kohistan and Kolai-Palas districts from the Dubair Khawar Hydropower dam.
“Most of the construction and technical work on the 132kV grid station in Lower Kohistan has been completed, and we are also moving machinery, equipment and labour to ensure its completion at the earliest possible time,” the Hazesco official told the meeting.
The deputy commissioner directed Hazesco officials to ensure the early completion of the grid station and connect it with the Dubair Khawar Hydropower Project to supply electricity to consumers in both districts.
Long queues of vehicles were witnessed on both sides of the Karakoram Highway after protesters again blocked the artery following Friday prayers at around 2 pm.The protesters raised slogans in support of their demands, saying they would not allow Wapda to restore operations at the Dubair Khawar powerhouses, which they had earlier shut down.
Meanwhile, the Lower Kohistan district administration has evolved a comprehensive strategy to contain wildfires and protect the district’s flora and fauna.“The government wants strict punitive action against those involved in setting forests on fire, causing damage to flora and fauna. We also need to involve local communities living near forests to prevent the dumping of inflammable materials and other combustible waste in wooded areas,” Zuhaib Hayat, the deputy commissioner of Lower Kohistan, told a meeting held at his office.
