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Seismically resistant houses in quake hit areas to be ensured: ERRA
ISLAMABAD, Apr 11 : The Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) would ensure construction of seismically resistant house in quake hit areas, Deputy Chairman ERRA Major General Nadeem Ahmed has said.
Talking to a private TV channel he said ERRA is working on 10 options that include, urban and rural housing, health, education, livelihood, roads and transport, water supply and sanitation, energy issues, industry and tourism, agriculture, environment and private sector development and employment.
To a question he said, those families whose houses were completely destroyed would get Rs. 175,000 and families whose houses are repairable would get Rs. 75,000. To another question he said, to make the process transparent, aid in cash is not being distributed, but it is being transferred in accounts of the affectees.
All the owners would reconstruct their houses at their own. The reconstruction of the destroyed houses would be supervised as they should not be constructed on old pattern, he added.
To a question he said, only Balakot town has to be re-located. The whole Balakot Tehsil has 300,000 population while the town has about 30,000 persons which swells to about 45,000 during the tourism session.
He further said, at the moment, "We are looking at some government lands where this can be re-located. We have to first find peace of land which can accommodate about 45 to 50 thousand people which should be located closely to this area so that their source of livelihood which was connected to tourism remains."
Secondly, "It has to be seismically safe,then we have to go in for huge exercise of town planning and once we do the town planning, then comes the town development phase where you can allot land to people and where you laid down the services."
"We also need to establish what to do with the people of Balakot till the time the new town comes up."
To a question he said, all these things were discussed with the provincial government of NWFP and it has been asked to come up with plan as quickly as possible.
As far as ERRA is concerned, "We will facilitate once we know where the new land is going to be made available," he concluded.