MANSEHRA: The survivors of the 2005 earthquake along with traders on Tuesday marched through the Balakot Bazaar to protest the long delay in the allotment of plots in the New Balakot City project.

“The Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority had announced the resumption of work on the New Balakot City after the 2005 earthquake anniversary, but that has yet not happened,” president of the Young Ittehad Rajab Ali Naqash told protesters.

He said the earthquake survivors continued to live a miserable life in prefabricated houses due to the failure of the Erra to complete work on the multi-billion rupees housing project over the years.

President of the Balakot traders’ body Anwar Lala warned that if the Erra didn’t resume work on the housing project by Oct 15, the residents would stage sit-ins outside the prime minister’s private mansion in Islamabad and the provincial assembly’s building in Peshawar.

Trader leader Jawad Iqbal said Prime Minister Imran Khan had visited the earthquake-hit families as the PTI chief and announced support for their rehabilitation but did nothing for the purpose after forming the government.

“We want an immediate retrieval of land acquired for the New Balakot City in Bakrial area from illegal occupants for the start of work,” he said.

Former tehsil nazim Noor Hussain said the earthquake survivors won’t abandon their fight to claim rights.

“We want the allotment of plots in New Balakot City project without delay,” he said.

The protesters complained about the ‘apathy’ of the federal and provincial governments to their prolonged misery. Some of them marched on the road barefoot and others covered their heads in shrouds.

Holding banners and placards, they shouted slogans against Erra and federal and provincial governments.

OUTAGES RESENTED: The residents have resented the prolonged power outages in the district.

“The Peshawar Electric Supply Company frequently suspends power supply in the name of repairing transmission lines, which is unacceptable to us [residents] at any cost,” trader Fayyaz Solaria told reporters here on Tuesday. He said the Pesco suspended electricity every second or third day badly hitting the business activity.

Resident Arif Rajput flayed the Pesco over the frequent power cuts and demanded the prime minister’s intervention to ease the people’s misery.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2021