ABBOTTABAD, March 31: The Asian Development Bank will provide financial assistance for the reconstruction of court buildings and assist in compiling record and data that was lost due to the Oct 8 earthquake.

A representative of the Asian Bank, M. Wokas, said after a detailed meeting with members from the judiciary, officials of the district government and selected people from different walks of life, including representatives of the media, at Mansehra on Friday.

ADB officials discussed in length matters relating to preparation of revenue record and record of courts of Balakot, almost 50 per cent of which has been destroyed, for which suggestions were sought by the officials concerned.

The meeting was told that to maintain the complete record ADB would provide financial assistance to hire manpower and will bear out the expenditure to complete it.

Suggestions were also called by the ADB to prepare a foolproof system for recording births and deaths while some changes were also suggested in the guardianship procedures as a record number of children had lost their parents and in most of the cases huge properties were also left behind, but in the absence of record it was difficult to ascertain the names of the rightful heir.

It was recommended that a legal aid committee be constituted to help out people in sorting out their problems for which early submission of proposals were demanded.

Those who attended the meeting included District and Sessions Judge Ibrahim Khan, DRO Sadiq Jadoon, Tehsil Nazim Khurram Hanif, DPO Mansehra, media representatives Nisar Ahmed Khan and Shezad Tanoli.

It was suggested that a media centre be set up with the latest equipment to facilitate journalists of the area.