MANSEHRA: Survivors of the 2005 earthquake in Balakot have demanded the winding up of the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Rehabilitation Authority over failure to address their problems.

The demand was made during a gathering organised here to mark the 10th anniversary of the Oct 8, 2005 earthquake.

The event took place at a mass grave of 86 students, who buried alive under the rubble of their school building after it collapsed due to the earthquake. The participants offered Fateha for the deceased.

Also in the day, traders across the city kept their businesses closed to remember 30,000 people, who died in the calamity.

The people observed two minutes silence to pay homage to the deceased and took out rallies to highlight plight of earthquake survivors.

Insist authority has failed to address their problems in 10 years

Holding banners and placards, the demonstrators demanded that the army chief intervene for corrective measures.

naib nazim Ghulam Murtaza, tehsil nazim Balakot Rustam Khan and political leaders Babar Saleem Swati and Shafat Ali.

Speaking on the occasion, district nazim Said Ghulam said the calamity survivors had long been suffering while living in makeshift shelters.

“The district government will take up the issue of delay in the construction of New Balakot City House Project with the prime minister. I am hopeful the issue will be settled soon,” he said.

He said the district government would strive to address problems of earthquake survivors from Balakot.

Political activist Shafat Ali said Erra failed to address issues faced by earthquake-affected families even 10 years after the tragedy hit the region.

“The federal government should wind up Erra without delay, while its funds should be transferred to the Provincial Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority so that issues like of that of the New Balakot City Housing Project could be addressed,” he said.

Ali said funds meant for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of survivors and affected districts were diverted to other projects by the federal government and that such moves wouldn’t be tolerated at all.

Ali said if Perra was strengthened through empowerment and better funding, only then effective resolution of the problems faced by earthquake survivors in Balakot and other districts would happen.

Political leader Babar Saleem said the federal government should pay heed to the problems of earthquake-hit families otherwise the latter would agitate and stage a sit-in outside the Prime Minister’s House.

Tehsil nazim Rustam Khan said both federal and provincial governments should provide extra funds to the tehsil government of Balakot.

“If we’re given extra funds, we can effectively address issues of earthquake victims,” he said.

Rustam Khan said people of Balakot led a miserable life in small shelter homes but neither the federal government nor the provincial government was sincere about ensuring early establishment of new Balakot city.

Published in Dawn October 9th, 2015

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