ISLAMABAD, Nov 2: The deputy chairman of the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (Erra), Lt-Gen Nadeem Ahmad, on Thursday said 700 earthquake-resistant houses will be built in the next two to three months in the first phase of rehabilitation efforts aimed at catering the housing needs of the people of Balakot.

“All arrangements have been made to start construction work on housing units next week in Balakot which would be completed in the shortest possible time,” he said while speaking at a signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on construction of 700 houses in Balakot with the financial help of the Kuwait Joint Relief Committee (KJRC).

He said the housing units to be built in Balakot would have two rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom and they would be comfortable for both summer and winter seasons.

He said the new construction work could not be undertaken on the same location in Balakot as it had been identified as a red zone in the seismic survey.

The new houses would be earthquake-resistant and the area of Bakrayal was considered safe from earthquake shocks, he said. Lt-Gen Nadeem said the KJRC would also build schools to help children continue their studies besides building mosques in the area.

He said foreign donors had been asked to provide consistent financial aid to continue the rehabilitation phase at a faster pace.