February 15, 2006	Wednesday	Muharram 16, 1427

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

ISLAMABAD, Feb 14: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said here on Tuesday that reconstruction and rehabilitation work in quake-hit areas would commence in a few weeks.

Talking to the new chairman of Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (Erra), Mr Altaf Saleem, he said the government was committed to converting the catastrophe into an opportunity by adopting a futuristic approach in reconstruction.

He said the government had already provided Rs25,000 to each affected person for temporary shelters while about Rs40 billion would be disbursed by June to enable them to rebuild reconstruct their homes.

He said building over 400,000 earth-quake resistant homes was a challenge. He said Erra would work in coordination with the AJK and NWFP governments.

Mr Aziz said the authority would be responsible for ensuring reconstruction of earthquake-resistant infrastructure, houses, educational institutions and government offices. It would also promote the sponsorship programme and launch micro-financing schemes in the affected areas to generate economic activities and provide employment to people.

He acknowledged the services of outgoing Erra chairman Lt-General Muhammad Zubair and expressed the confidence that the new chairman would take up the task with similar vigour.

The prime minister said that negotiations were under way to get the pledges made by the international community materialized in order to speed up reconstruction and rehabilitation activities.

Mr Saleem said he would discharge his obligations with great responsibility for rehabilitation of the quake-affected people to enable them to start normal life within a short span of time. He said he would work in coordination with donors with a view to converting their pledges into cash.

Mr Saleem is a leading businessman and a well-known philanthropist. He is former minister for privatization and before taking up the new assignment he was chairman of the National Technical and Vocational Training Authority.

Lt-Gen Muhammad Zubair has been appointed chairman of the Planning Commission’s Infrastructure Monitoring Unit.

AP ADDS: Outgoing Erra chief Lt-Gen Zubair said on Tuesday that he had been fired, and an opposition party welcomed the move, accusing him of inaction in the aftermath of the Oct 8 disaster.

He said he was sacked after President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told him on Monday that he was being replaced by a civilian.

“No, I have not resigned. The decision was taken to replace me with a civilian,” he said, dismissing media reports that he had stepped down after three months in office.

Gen Zubair said he had been given no reason and did not know who would replace him. He said he was proud of the pace with which he had secured planning approvals for reconstruction projects covering six devastated districts.

“The World Bank and donors agree with us that our speed has been very fast in the last three months,” he said. “They’re happy with us, there’s no problem.”

President Musharraf’s spokesman declined to comment on Gen Zubair’s statement and PM Aziz’s spokesman was not immediately available.

The development was welcomed by Pakistan Peoples Party. Its lawmaker Aitzaz Ahsan accused Gen Zubair of “having done nothing so far” to relieve victims of their sufferings.

“If there is criticism, it is for the absolute inaction of Zubair in this period,” he said “He has absolutely nothing to show for himself on the ground.”