January 20, 2008	Sunday	Muharram 10, 1429

MANSEHRA, Jan 19: Earthquake survivors of Balakot and Garlat have threatened to boycott the coming general election and occupy polling stations on the polling day if the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority does not pay them the remaining instalments of the housing compensation amount.

They said they had not been paid the full compensation amount despite the lapse of more than two years since the earthquake. The chilly weather has multiplied miseries of the survivors who still do not have proper shelters.

“If Erra did not pay us the housing compensation amount, we will have no option but to boycott the election and occupy polling stations to stop people from casting their votes,” said Mohammad Nazir, president of the Action Committee for the Rights of Earthquake Survivors of Balakot, while speaking at a public meeting here on Saturday.

Other speakers claimed that the government had received about $4.5 billion for earthquake survivors, but the money was used on other projects. They said the government had set up Erra to safeguard the rights of the survivors but it had failed to do its job.

They said that due to the severe cold in steel-sheet shelters and prefabricated houses, hundreds of people were suffering from cold-related diseases.