MUZAFFARABAD: At least Rs46 billion are required by the authorities in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) to complete 1,730 ongoing and yet-to-be-initiated projects in the earthquake-affected-areas, a senior official here said.

Of these projects, 919 were in limbo despite being at different stages of execution due to unavailability of funds from Islamabad since April 2021 while the remaining 811 could not even be initiated until this day, said Zafar Nabi Butt, secretary of the State Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Serra).

Briefing a group of journalists, he recalled that after the northern parts of AJK were ravaged by the worst ever natural disaster in October 2005, the people and armed forces of Pakistan as well as the international community had provided generous financial support for the rehabilitation and reconstruction process.

Resultantly, he said, state of the art institutions and facilities were built in 14 sectors, mainly the education sector, which had recorded the highest number of physical and material losses.

“However, since the majority of the under-construction and yet-to-be-initiated projects - 515 and 597, respectively – are in education sector, around two hundred thousand children are compelled to quench their thirst for education under the open sky in scorching summer heats and biting winter colds,” he said.

Rs46bn required to complete ongoing, yet-to-be-launched schemes, official says

“These children are desperately looking towards the government of Pakistan for the early completion of the buildings of their respective institutions so that they can also carry on their educational activities in a comfortable environment,” he added.

The cost of these 1,730 projects was Rs27.6 billion in October 2021, but it had now swelled to Rs46 billion due to record inflation in the country, Mr Butt said.

He said since the international community had provided a plentiful amount to the government of Pakistan for the earthquake victims, non-completion of the projects on time was also denting the country’s reputation at the global level.

According to him, the post-earthquake infrastructure development portfolio consisted of 7,608 projects, under three modes of execution – sponsors, donors and government of Pakistan (GoP) funding.

All 1,730 projects in limbo were under the GoP funding, he said.

In response to a question, he added that 81 projects in education and five in health sector were at the advanced stages of execution, ranging between 75 and 95pc, and could be completed in next six months from Rs1.5 billion.

“This amount (1.5 billion) is a peanut for the federal government but it will not only complement its efforts for socioeconomic development but will also improve its goodwill,” he said.

Responding to another question, Mr Butt asserted that infrastructure development in the aftermath of the earthquake was done in line with the building codes, both in public and private sectors.

However, he lamented, with the passage of time the tendency of eluding implementation in letter and in spirit of these codes was also being noticed in the private sector, notwithstanding its repercussions.

“If the relevant civic bodies and other institutions do not counsel and command people to go for the modern earthquake resistant constructions in accordance with the building codes, physical and material losses in the event of any similar calamity in future cannot be ruled out,” he warned.

Mr Butt said an effective legislation on part of the government was direly required to benefit from Serra’s internationally acknowledged post-disaster management expertise and proficiency.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2023