PESHAWAR, Oct 28: The authorities have cancelled plans to evacuate people from the earthquake-hit Alai tehsil in Battagram district and transport them to other places following their refusal to leave their ancestral abodes, senior officials said on Friday.

The district coordination officer in Battagram, Abdul Khaliq, said that the government had already decided there would be no forced evacuation from the quake-hit areas of Alai tehsil.

Talking to Dawn by phone from Battagram, Mr Khaliq said the government had originally proposed to move 100,000 people from the affected area under the evacuation plan.

“People are in dire need of tents and financial assistance,” the DCO said, adding that the local administration in collaboration with public representatives was going to launch a compensation programme from Saturday.

The evacuation plan had been drawn up in view of the harsh weather in Alai tehsil and rumours of volcanic activity being recorded in the area. Initially, it was estimated that 100,000 people would be relocated from Alai to tent villages in Haripur district.

The government had dispatched two teams of geologists to the affected areas to confirm reports of volcanic activity in the area. Officials said the geologists had completed their survey and had submitted a report to the concerned authorities.

The district administration had estimated that the affected people in Battagram district would need about 50,000 tents.