June 07, 2006	Wednesday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 10, 1427

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PESHAWAR, June 6: The Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority and the United Nations on Tuesday jointly launched a $296 million early recovery plan for the five earthquake-hit districts of the NWFP.

The purpose of the plan is to streamline work of transition from relief to reconstruction and its objective is to ensure availability of essential services in quake-hit areas.

The ceremony was attended by UN Resident Coordinator Jan Vandemoortele, NWFP Senior Minister Sirajul Haq, Health Minister Inayatullah Khan, the provincial director-general of Erra and other officials.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Vandemoortele said that the plan included training and capacity development of human resources of the local governments in the affected areas.

The UN, he said, had planned to set up 150 pre-fabricated basic health units and over 32 schools this year.

“Provision of seeds, farming tools and livestock will be one of priorities of the plan so that livelihoods, especially for women, are restored.”

However, Mr Haq said that pace of reconstruction and rehabilitation was very slow and Erra had yet to initiate activities in the five districts.

He said that the government should immediately initiate reconstruction of health units and schools in the affected areas and complete the work before winter set in.

Mr Khan said: “We should not waste time in preparation of strategies and consultancies. The UN agencies and line departments are moving very slowly.”

A senior official of the schools and literacy department said that the children had been attending classes in open air. He said that Erra had yet to provide approved designs for the school buildings.

Mansehra District Coordination Officer Shakil Qader said that Erra had yet to provide staff for the district reconstruction units.

Some officials pointed out that the provincial government had excluded the five quake-hit districts — Abbottabad, Mansehra, Batagram, Shangla and Kohistan - from the next annual development programme.

They said that the decision would create sense of deprivation among the people of the districts therefore the provincial government should allocate funds for development schemes in the districts under the ADP.

Provincial Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority Director-General Jamshedul Hassan, while responding to points raised by the officials of line departments, said that the authority had finalised strategies for the affected areas, but no scheme had been approved yet.

“The reconstruction phase will take at least eight to 10 years,” Mr Hassan said, adding that some foreign donor agencies had initiated reconstruction activities in social sector.

He said that the Japan International Cooperation Agency had started construction of schools and basic health units in Batagram district, the Asian Development Bank would provide assistance for construction of roads and the USAID was building two schools and Saudi Arabia a mosque in Mansehra.

He said that Erra would provide funds for setting up 1,600 water supply schemes and carry out reconstruction activities with consultation with the district nazims and line departments.