MIRPUR, Nov 27: Hundreds of families, whose houses were destroyed in the Oct 8 quake, have reached here and other parts of Mirpur district from Muzaffarabad to take refuge in homes of their relatives or in rented houses.

Those with meagre means are living in tent villages.

One or two male members of such families have stayed behind to lookafter their property and belongings.

Some survivors are shifting to Mirpur, Kotli and Bhimbher districts of the AJK and different parts of Pakistan including Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Jhelum, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Sialkot and Lahore.

Life has, however, gradually started returning to normal in the AJK capital, Bagh and Rawlakot districts because of resumption of work in some private and public sector institutions. Shops and business centres have started opening in the quake-hit areas.

Meanwhile, the army, civil administration and volunteers are engaged in relief work. Bulldozers of the public works departments, private construction companies and volunteer organisations are seen removing debris.

To provide shelter to the homeless people, more tent villages are being established in the affected areas.

Besides, 95 per cent of electricity transmission network has so far been restored in Azad Jammu Kashmir whereas efforts are being made to revive power supply in the rest of the region, said AJk Secretary (power), Sardar Mohammad Altaf.

He added that the government of Pakistan had exempted consumers in the affected areas of the AJK from payment of electricity bills for three months.

Talking to APP, Mr Altaf said that the AJK electricity department had sought immediate financial assistance of Rs800 million from the government of Pakistan for complete restoration of power supply in the quake-hit areas of Azad Jammu Kashmir.

Highlighting massive losses caused to power supply network in almost half of AJK and post-quake measures of his department, he said that seven of the 17 major grid stations had collapsed, crippling the electricity distribution network in Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Rawlakot districts and Neelam valley.

Mr Altaf said that soon after Oct 8 tragedy, electricity was first of all restored at the collapsed Combined Military Hospital premises, Army Stadium and water supply networks in Muzaffarabad.

He said that at least 500-strong work force — including 150 employees of Wapda and the AJK electricity department from safe districts of Mirpur, Kotli, Bhimbher and Sudhanoti — had been sent to the affected areas to restore the power supply system.—APP