ISLAMABAD, July 21: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Friday said that 400,000 houses had been destroyed or damaged in the Oct 8 earthquake in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Frontier province.

Talking to reporters after a fifth meeting of the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (Erra), he said ‘considerable progress’ had been made in the reconstruction process and Rs45 billion had been disbursed among the affected.

The amount, he elaborated, had been released for reconstruction of houses and compensation for the dead and the injured.

The premier said that the survey of destroyed houses had been completed and the reconstruction work would hopefully be completed within three to five years.

He said a livelihood programme for widows and children had been launched under which over 150,000 eligible families had been given about Rs1 billion during the last six months as monthly compensation.

Answering a question, Mr Aziz said that a ‘Micro Finance Programme’ would be started in the affected areas next week to enable people to set up small businesses.

He said all roads in the affected areas were operational and reconstruction of health and educational facilities was being undertaken on a priority.

He announced that 6,298 educational institutions and 342 health centres would be rebuilt.

He said donors would spend Rs26 billion for improvement of health, education, water and sanitation facilities and added that 3,300 people had been provided training on reconstruction activities who would extend it to local people.

Presiding over the Erra council meeting earlier, the prime minister said the international community had committed $6.5 billion at the donors conference of which $4 billion was to be in shape of loans and the rest in grants. He said that about $1.3 billion of the grant and $2.4 billion from loans had been spent.

He emphasised the need for expediting the reconstruction work.

Erra deputy chairman Lt-Gen Nadeem Ahmad informed the meeting that town planning for Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Rawlakot and Bakrial had been undertaken by various departments to expedite the reconstruction work.

He said all educational institutions were working either in their premises or prefabricated buildings and all field hospitals were functioning in every part of the earthquake affected area.

The meeting was informed that an assessment of 392,828 houses had been made and MoUs were signed for reconstruction. A total of 290,968 people were given Rs20.7 billion and 11 housing reconstruction centres had been established.

AJK Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan and NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani also attended the meeting.