PESHAWAR, Sept 3: The NWFP Forest Development Corporation (FDC) has sought Rs500 million from the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (Erra) to import timber for reconstruction in the quake-hit districts of the province, according to sources.

A senior official told Dawn that it had been planned to provide imported timber to the survivors of last year’s earthquake at subsidised rates to preserve the already shrinking conifer forests of the country.

“The FDC has asked Erra to provide Rs500 million from the reconstruction fund for importing timber from South East Asian countries”, he said.

According to the sources, Erra has not accepted the FDC’s demand submitted in February and discussed with the Provincial Earthquake Reconstruction Authority recently.

The official said that bulk supply of timber to the quake-hit zone of the province would release pressure on the country’s forest resources.

“The corporation will sale imported timber to the affected people on highly subsidized rate”, he said.

According to a federal ministry of environment estimate, the quake-affected areas in the NWFP may require 96 million cubic feet timber for reconstruction of houses and public sector buildings.

The NWFP has the largest part of the country’s forest resources and over half of the total forest covered area of the country is in the province, particularly in Malakand and Hazara regions.