Row may delay Yarkhun power house opening

Report Afzaluddin, Brep



The inauguration of Yukum power house in Yarkhun valley scheduled for July 11 seems uncertain due to a row between some households of Brep village and the executing agency over non-provision of electricity wires to the consumers.

The Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP) had been provided a sum of Rs16 million by the government for construction of the 500KV power house to provide electricity to the villages of Brep, Pashk, Mahting and Dewangol. During the dialogue with the people, the AKRSP had promised that it would complete the project and supply power to each member of the nine societies formed for the purpose. Each member for the society had paid Rs3,000 besides working turn by turn at the site for 30 days on a self-help basis. Earlier, the AKRSP had received Rs600 from each member and now is asking them to pay Rs1,200 each for the electricity meters to be installed in their houses.

However, when the AKRSP started getting electricity wires fixed in the houses through the society members, it ran out of the wires after covering only three of the nine societies. For the households of the remaining six societies, the AKRSP has no answer as to when it would arrange the wires and has been using delaying tactics in purchasing them.

Some officials of the organization have also asked the people of Brep’s Jimlasht, Thorjal, Ratheni and Deh mohallas to get their old electricity wires connected with the mainline from the new power house. However, the villagers have rejected the proposal and are demanding new wires as promised to them earlier.

They have warned that if they were not provided with the wires before July 11, they would not allow the organization to open the power house on July 11.--Chitraltoday.com