ISLAMABAD, Oct 4: The United Kingdom has called for speeding up infrastructure development in quake-hit parts of Azad Kashmir and the NWFP, introducing a disaster risk reduction system in Pakistan and strengthening monitoring, evaluation and accountability mechanism for the process of reconstruction and rehabilitation.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, British Parliamentary Under-Secretary for International Development Gareth Thomas said the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority should ensure transparent processes.

He observed that there had been a steady increase in accountability and said donors like them had the capacity to go through the reconstruction plans.

He announced that the UK was going to provide £9 million in technical assistance for reconstruction and rehabilitation. He said the amount was from a total of 44 million pounds intended for next two years.

He recalled that the UK had pledged 70 million pounds for reconstruction and rehabilitation out of which five million pounds had been spent on reconstructing critical bridges, training teachers and administrators to support the rebuilding of education and prevention of TB and mental health.

“The nine million pounds will be spent on technical assistance to Erra to help build its capacity and reduce the impact of future disasters. There will be a contingency reserve to address urgent unmet needs in 18 months.

“The remaining 35 million pounds are intended for budget support to the government of Pakistan, to be spent on Erra priorities.”

Mr Thomas said that the UK’s Department for International Development was among the group of seven large donors working with Pakistan to help meet the earthquake recovery challenge.

He said ten per cent of the DFID’s relief funding would be invested in disaster risk reduction to establish a national disaster risk reduction system.

Erra Deputy Chairman Lt-Gen Nadeem Ahmed said 40,000 people had complained of losing land as a result of the quake.