November 21, 2006	Tuesday	Shawwal 28, 1427

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ABBOTTABAD, Nov 20: The bodies of a man and his son – who had been buried alive under the debris of Balakot’s Hangrai village in the last year’s earthquake – were found on Sunday.

And to the surprise of everyone here, the condition of the bodies was good enough for the villagers to identify them as of Rehmatullah and his son Ashraf.

Eyewitnesses said that the bodies, unearthed after the recent rains, were sighted by villagers, who had to put in a little effort to retrieve them completely. The bodies were then properly buried in the village graveyard, they said.

According to villagers, the father and the son were cutting grass when the devastating earthquake struck the area, wiping out towns and villages and triggering massive landslide in five districts of the NWFP.

TIMBER: MPA Mazhar Ali Qasim has said the forest department has set up a depot from where timber will be provided to quake-hit people on discount.

Talking to newsmen at Balakaot on Monday, he said that some changes had also been made in the design of houses which would considerably reduce the cost of construction.

Mr Qasim said the survivors were still facing problems due to ill-planned policies and lack of capacity of the concerned departments. These departments could not start reconstruction activities, because the funds provided to them were not sufficient, he added.

“With the establishment of the timber facility, the quake-hit population will be able to build their houses at a reduced cost,” he said.