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| December 5, 2005 | Monday | Ziqa’ad 2, 1426 |
Govt asked to link policy with needs: Quake-affected areas
RAWLAKOT, Dec 4: The earthquake victims of Rawlakot have demanded of the government to change its earthquake relief policy in accordance with the prevailing situation, weather and needs of the people in the affected areas.
The Kashmiris also requested the government to link compensation with the extent of destruction.
Similarly, the residents of Poonch district complained that the government was treating all people in the same manner. They regretted that the government was paying Rs100,000 compensation to a family without taking into account the number of family members killed.
Moreover, the government is paying compensation to the owners of the damaged houses while those who had rented these houses were being ignored, they added.
The residents said they were receiving tents when there was no need for such type of shelter. The needs are changing everyday, but the government was implementing its policy which it had devised during the initial days of the earthquake.
“We needed tents in the early days but now it is impossible to live in them in the freezing weather,” the residents added.
According to the data provided by Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) the total area of Poonch district was 855 sq kms divided into three tehsils — Rawlakot, Abbaspur and Hajira.
The total population of the area is about 0.5 million with 54,000 households. The district has 179 villages and 25 union councils.
The most affected areas of Rawlakot tehsil are Rawlakot city, Pachiot, Ali Sojal, Pakher, Dahmni and Singola.
Serari and Ghamir are the most affected areas of Hajira tehsil, while Khali Draman and Chaffar are the worst hit areas of Abbaspur tehsil.
About 1,078 deaths occurred due to the earthquake while 2,200 were injured and 150 persons became disabled.
Buildings in the area had been constructed through traditional means and were not quake resistant. About 42,000 houses, 56 shops, a university, two postgraduate colleges, three higher secondary schools, 16 high schools, and 100 middle and primary schools, 78 district and tehsil administration buildings and residential colonies, courts, bars, jails, government departments, 16 hospitals and basic health units were completely destroyed in Poonch district during the earthquake.
On the other hand, five degree colleges, two teacher training institutes, 47 high schools, 223 middle and primary schools, 154 shops, 71 district and tehsil administration buildings and residential colonies, government departments and 19 BHUs were partially damaged.
Livestock was also lost in the earthquake. As many as 3,000 buffaloes, 50 cows, 5,000 sheep and goats and 10,000 poultry birds were killed.
Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), which is the largest social fund of its kind set up by the World Bank, is also making considerable contribution towards the relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in close coordination with the government machinery and civil society partners.
On PPAF’s request, the World Bank and the Pakistan government had approved $5 million from its existing programme towards the disaster relief efforts.
An amount of Rs1 million has been contributed to the ‘President Relief Fund’ from PPAF staff’s own resources.
The World Bank will provide $100 million to PPAF out of which $34 million will be spent on social mobilization while the remaining amount on corrugated sheets.
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