ISLAMABAD, Sept 13: The Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) has said that the reconstruction work in the quake-hit areas of the Azad Kashmir and NWFP will be completed in next three to five years.

Speaking at a press conference here on Thursday, Erra chairman Altaf M. Saleem and deputy chairman Lt-Gen Nadeem Ahmed said life had returned to normal in the quake affected areas with the construction of infrastructure, houses, roads, schools, health and communication sectors.

Mr Saleem said reconstruction work was going on satisfactorily and people in the affected areas were now living a better life as compared to pre-quake period.

He said the reconstruction process would be completed in three to five years and people would have better education, housing, potable water and health facilities. He said the government’s vision to provide better life to affected people had been translated to reality with Erra’s efforts in collaboration with international agencies and NGOs.

Mr Ahmed said more than 300,000 people had so far been imparted training in different reconstruction related fields. The reconstruction process, he said, had increased economic activity in the area. Schemes for agriculture sector of Rs1.5 billion worth were under preparation, he said, adding that Khushaali Bank would provide Rs3 billion for various other schemes. He said the work on the community livelihood rehabilitation plan was underway.

The deputy chairman said almost all educational institutions were now functional in the affected areas. The newly constructed medical centres were built on modern lines and had state of the art equipment. He said the Balakot city, being constructed at its new place at Bakrial, would be completed in three to five years. The new Balakot would be constructed as a tourist resort, he added.

He said Chinese companies had started work for development and construction of building and offices at Muzaffarabad.

Mr Ahmed said 139 construction material hubs were under operation to provide building material for uninterrupted reconstruction work. He said people were trained to build earthquake-resistance houses and the standard of quality would be followed strictly through the Erra’s monitoring and evaluation process.

Mr Ahmed said the amount of compensation had been distributed among the affected people through banks in a transparent manner. An effective system of check and balance was in place, leaving no room for irregularities, he said adding that a mechanism for redressing grievances was also in place where people can file appeals.