Islamabad
The Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources Tuesday held a thorough debate on the compensation issue of Mirani Dam flood-affected people and recommended a list, containing 1,816 Names, compiled and approved by the quarters concerned for payment in 2015. The committee meeting, chaired by Shamim Afridi, was informed that there were about four to five lists of the affected people, prepared since 2007 after a cyclone Yemy in hit Balochistan coast on the night between June 26-27, back-flowing water from Mirani Dam in the Nihing and Kech rivers.
The worst hit areas included union councils of Nasirabad, Nodiz and Kosh Kalat. “All the lists have conflicting facts and figures about the number of affected people and damages’ claims, which is one of the problems in disbursement of the compensation amount,” officials from the Balochistan province informed the body. Upon this, the committee looked into the issue in detail and unanimously approved the list of 1,816 affected people, which was endorsed by the quarters concerned for the payment.
Following which, the committee was apprised that there was a binding by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) that the compensation would be given after damages and disbursement s’ verification through the third-party. Unfortunately, a third-party team had visited the affected areas in 2012 but could not find the ‘visible’ damages occurred to the orchards, trees and households as the flood had washed away everything, the officials said.
After deliberating on the possibility of relaxing the ECNEC condition of third-party’s involvement, the committee called in the Secretary Planning Commission in the next meeting to find a way forward and form a provincial level third-party for the compensation payment.
Earlier, the committee taken up the issue regarding the payment of royalty on account of electricity generation to the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the Aftab Ghulam Nabi Kazi formula.—INP
