May 10, 2007	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 22, 1428

MANSEHRA, May 9: The NWFP government, on the directives of the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (Erra), has set May 18 as the deadline for repatriation of the displaced families who can neither be described as “landless” ones nor as “vulnerable” ones.

Meanwhile, the last date for winding up of tent villages in the quake-hit areas of the province has been extended from June 30 to July 30, official sources told Dawn on Wednesday.

At least 573 of the 1,055 displaced families are still living in the tent villages in Siren, Kashtara and Jabba, while the remaining 482 voluntarily have returned to their native villages after benefiting from the

“repatriation package” of 14 corrugated and galvanised iron sheets, two months’ ration and free transportation.

However, the government, after chalking out a new strategy, has categorised the displaced families into three categories. Those who own land but their houses were destroyed in the quake were placed in the ‘normal’ category.

Those who lost land due to landslides in the quake and have no alternative were placed in the ‘landless’ category. And those whose families consist of widows, orphans and disabled people were placed in the ‘vulnerable’ category.

The assistant coordinating officer for Mansehra and the focalperson for camp management, Mrs Kaniz Sughra, told this correspondent that the repatriation process was under way voluntarily from the Kashtara, Siren and Jabba tent villages as the government has set May 18 as the deadline for repatriation of those displaced families who can erect tents in their ancestral villages. Each such family was being provided two months’ ration, 14 corrugated and galvanised iron sheets and free transportation.

She said the NWFP government had initially set June 30 as the deadline for the winding up of tent villages in the quake-hit areas but now all camps would be wound up by the end of July.

In response to a question, she said: “The government wants to wind up all tent villages as we (the government) do not want to turn the quake-affected people into beggars and they would be provided a compensation of Rs75,000 at their doorstep as NGOs are providing facilities with the money which would be spent on their rehabilitation.”