March 13, 2007	Tuesday	Safar 23, 1428

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PESHAWAR, March 12: The federal government has devised a fresh policy for the landless families in the five earthquake-hit districts of the NWFP, according to some officials.

The policy, worked out by the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (Erra), is likely to be discussed with the relevant quarters of the NWFP government and AJK on Tuesday at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, an official of the Board of Revenue told Dawn here on Monday.

About the policy — the details of which were provided to the provincial government last week — the official said the federal government planned to purchase five-marla plots for the families whose houses had been demolished in the quake or those who were not in a position to rebuild their homes owing to landsliding, etc.

As per the strategy, a committee will verify the particulars of an affected family and release Rs75,000 for each five-marla plot. The affected people will be required to identify the land within the same union council and the committee will then release the amount.

In case a suitable site is not available within the same union council, the affected people, with the permission of the committee, may move to adjoining areas.

“The condition of the affected families within the same union council is to avoid any demographic changes on a mass level and to keep their movement in a controlled manner,” the official said.

According to the official, the provincial authorities have reviewed the policy and prepared recommendations for making the policy effective.

These recommendations would be presented to the federal government tomorrow in the meeting.

The provincial government, said the official, has raised concern over the procedure of disbursement of such amount. The provincial government was of the view that instead of purchasing plots at local level after completion a cumbersome procedure would create certain anomalies in the system, he said.

The provincial government holds the view that the federal government should acquire land at locality level and develop it, which then allotted to deserving families, the official added.