MANSEHRA: Families affected by the Suki Kinarihydropower project on Wednesday announced that they would stage street protests and block the Mansehra-NaranJalkhad Road indefinitely if the demand of market rate for their land wasn`t met by the federal government before Eidul Fitr.

`The technical summary, compiled on the orders of the prime minister, proposed market rates for our land and houses acquired for the dam and directed the government to pay Rs1.61 billion in compensation to the affected families. However, we have yet to receive the money, head of the committee representing the affected families Syed Humair Shah told a news conference.

Around 200 victims gathered at the press club to highlight their grievances and warned that the federal government should resolve all outstanding issues otherwise they would block the Mansehra-NaranJalkhad Road to traffic after Eid.

`The federal government shouldapprove the technical summary compiled by the Ministry of Power in 20170n directives of the then prime minister, Shahid Khagan Abbasi, and release the Rs1.61 billion compensation without further delay,` Mr Shah said.

He noted that the 880-megawatt Suki Kinari hydropower project, which was successfully completed lately, had begun trial production.

`This mega energy project will soon help address the country`s electricity shortfall, yet we are waiting for our land compensation,` he said.

Elder Shamsuddin said that while affected individuals were given jobs by the companies executing the project, they all should be appointed on a permanent basis.

`The people of Kaghan, Paras and Sawa union councils have made great sacrifices and even the graves of their ancestors have been engulfed by the reservoir, so they should be given employment on priority,` he said. Correspondent