MANSEHRA, July 31: The District Reconstruction Unit (DRU) has approved Rs4.19 billion for 1,377 reconstruction schemes in various fields in the earthquake affected areas.

Monthly review meeting of the DRU was held here on Thursday with District Nazim Sardar Mohammad Yousaf in the chair.

The meeting was attended among others by District Coordinator Officer Israr Khan, tehsil nazims Oghi and Balakot Laiq Khan, Syed Junaid Qasim, MPAs Mufti Kafaitullah, Wajeeuz Zaman Khan, Executive District Officer Finance Mohammad Zahir Shah, representatives of national and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and line departments.

According to sources, 590 schemes of education would be completed with Rs2.16 billion, environment protection schemes with Rs170 million, women welfare schemes with Rs20 million, 76 schemes of health department with Rs0.59 billion, 29 job employments schemes with Rs80 million and 28 roads reconstruction schemes with Rs0.95 billion.

Speaking on the occasion, the district nazim stressed upon the DRU and the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) to expedite the reconstruction process in the earthquake affected areas.

He said nearly 34 months had passed since the October 8, 2005 earthquake but most of the reconstruction work was still incomplete in the quake-hit region.

District Nazim Yousaf said that the health and education sectors were badly affected by the devastating earthquake, but the reconstruction process was very slow as a result people of the district were being deprived of health and education facilities.

Speaking on the occasion the MPAs and tehsil nazims expressed reservations about the work carried out by non-governmental organisations and demanded that they should work according to the wishes of the local people.

They also presented the lists of various schemes which could not be added in the developmental programme despite the recommendations of the elected public representatives of the region.