January 14, 2007	Sunday	Zilhaj 23, 1427

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

ABBOTTABAD, Jan 13: Survivors of the Oct 2005 earthquake in Balakot are facing extreme hardships due to the freezing temperature in the area. They are living through the hardest days and looking for a miracle to end their miseries, said journalist Shahjehan Khan, who still lives in a damaged tent in the town.

The number of patients has increased due to the inclement weather conditions.

There is one hospital in the town constructed by the Paktel company, but the patients remain unattended due to the absence of doctors and paramedical staff.

The provincial government has not provided doctors and the staff for the hospital. In the entire Balakot area, a junior paramedic takes care of the patients, but he too visits the area occasionally.

Two lady doctors worked there for an NGO and referred most of the delivery cases to Mansehra, but they also have left the area.

More than a dozen field hospitals were set up by different national and foreign organisations, but after their departure no one knew where the equipment and machinery has gone.

The situation has particularly worsened for wounded and those patients who needed long orthopaedic treatment and they have to go to other parts of the country.

The ERRA and PERRA had made tall claims to ensure early provision of shelters and many times photo sessions were held in Balakot, but only 15 shelters could be seen in the area.

It was claimed that the Saudi Arabian government would provide 5,000 shelters to earthquake-hit people before the start of current winter.

With the winter almost half over, no chance existed to get shelters, said Prof Muneer Swati, who had lost more than 35 members of his family.

Prof Muneer is disappointed with the treatment given to them by officials concerned as he belongs to the area which falls in the "red zone".

They were earlier told that they would be settled in Islamabad, then it was announced that a new model Balakot city would be set up at Bikryal, but they were shaken by an announcement by the federal and provincial governments that no sufficient land was available at Bikryal for the project.

The idea of setting up the new model city in Bikryal may either be shifted to some other place, and the people would be required to cut size of houses to small flats.

They are ready for all as they can not wait more and can not live in damaged tents where they could not lit the fire inside due to cases of fire breaking out in the tents.

Others said that the government has made the people beggars as they have to move to get food and eatable items and find some building material to build sheds for their families.

They can not either start their businesses or do some work to earn livelihood and live with respect and honour, the survivors said.

The situation worsened due to high prices of essential food items and the people could not get fuel for cooking and heating their tents to survive the cold season.

The second instalment for construction of houses was also not given to maximum number of survivors, while many flaws and false claims were alleged to have been made in the distribution of the first instalment of the monetary aid and the most deserving people were left out.