MANSEHRA: The provincial government has removed the Mansehra deputy commissioner and made him as officer on special duty, after he refused to increase the prices of land being acquired for building the 870 megawatt Suki Kanari hydropower project in Kaghan valley, sources said.

They informed Dawn on Sunday that a high-level meeting summoned by commissioner Hazara division, last week, for review of prices of land being acquired for the project failed to develop a consensus as Mansehra Deputy Commissioner Iqbal Hussain refused to further enhance the rates.

The meeting, which was held in the commissioner`s of fice in Abbottabad, prompted the provincial government to make Mr Hussain as OSD as he did not bow to the agitation threatened by the landowners for increase in land rates.

The sources said Mr Hussain had been asked by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa establishment division to report to the department just after the meeting ended. He was replaced by Shahrukah Khan.

The sources quoted the Mansehra DC as making it clear to the landowners led by former MPA from Kaghan valley, Mazhar Ali Qasim, that prices of land and houses had already been revised twice, almost doubling them, and that he couldn`t further increase the prices.

`I have doubled the price of land after successful talks with landowners but some politicians are creating hurdles to further their vested interest, which I cannot afford as I have no legal powers to enhance prices further,` said Mr Hussain quoted by the sources. According to the relevant documents, a committee formed with the mutual understanding of the government and landowners, had fixed Rs2 million per kanal of land.Correspondent