HARIPUR, May 14: At least 274 earthquake-affected families of union council Kalinjar have failed to attract the attention of government and non-governmental organisations and are being forced to live in tents even after the passing of eight months.

“The villagers started living in tents after the disastrous earthquake but none of the government agencies and NGOs have ever bothered to visit the area,” said Khushi Mohammad Awan, nazim union council Kalinjar, while talking to Dawn here on Saturday.

He said that the devastating earthquake of October 8 had razed 74 houses, while 200 were partially damaged in seven different villages of union council Kalinjar, but none of the government agencies or NGOs ever visited the area to extend help to the victims either in cash or kind.

He said that although there was no loss of life but the tremors deprived the residents of their entire belongings and made them stay out under the open sky without any financial assistance for reconstruction and rehabilitation.

Mr Awan said that despite repeated requests neither the district government nor the provincial government carried out damage assessment as a result of which the people were passing their days by living in tents in the sweltering heat.

The union nazim appreciated the efforts of non-governmental organisations which were involved in reconstruction and rehabilitation of Balakot and other areas. He asked them to visit union council Kalinjar.

Mr Awan criticized the district and provincial governments for giving a cold-shouldered response to the people of the Kalinjar area twice: once during the construction of the Tarbela dam which had destroyed their source of livelihood and the second time on the day of the earthquake on October 8.