ABBOTTABAD, March 29: Balakot has been declared a ‘red zone’ by the Provincial Earthquake Rehabilitation Authority (PERA) in the light of seismic reports submitted by experts from Turkey, China and Norway.

At least a 4,800-acre-urban area of Balakot comprising two union councils, Garlat and Balakot, were badly affected by the Oct 8 earthquake. Both Garlat and Balakot were declared unsafe for all types of construction and PERA advised the people not to make any solid construction.

The government has planned to settle more than 30,000 people at another location which would be named Model Balakot City.

This was disclosed by the director general, PERA, Jamsheedul Hassan, in a briefing attended by Mansehra nazim Sardar Mohammad Yousuf, DCO Shakeel Qadir, MPA Mazhar Qasim, NWFP Chief Engineer Habib Ali, Nespak Provincial Coordinator Mohammad Asif Khan and quake survivors at the district council hall Mansehra on Wednesday.

Deputy Director Information Hazara Mohammad Tayyab, while giving details to journalists after the meeting, said that on the request of ERRA, experts from different countries had conducted a survey and had submitted a detailed report to Nespak.

It was stated in the report that the land in these regions had developed cracks and wide gaps had appeared in some areas.

It was stated that in case of any major earthquake heavy loss of life and property could occur. So they advised all quarters concerned not to make heavy investment.

The surveyors after carrying out the study of the area had declared that it fell in the Jhelum-Himalaya fault-line and that it was not fit for any sort of construction.

Some NGOs, which were constructing a hospital, school and some offices in the areas, were stopped from carrying out the construction and were advised to make only temporary shelters.

Some of the earthquake-affected people from Balakot demanded that they should be settled near Islamabad. Some survivors said that the government should compensate those who were interested in shifting to other cities and constructing their houses as it would take a lot of time in selecting sites and constructing buildings.

Mr Hassan said that a detailed study for other earthquake-affected areas like Batagram, Aali, etc., was also under consideration and hopefully its report would be prepared within two to three months.