MANSEHRA, Oct 2: The United Nations Habitat (UN-Habitat) has launched one widow operation to pay compensation to quake-affected landless families of Balakot.

A ceremony to distribute cheques among the landless earthquake-affected families was held in Balakot on Tuesday. Mansehra District Nazim Sardar Mohammad Yousaf and District Coordination Officer Munir Azam distributed the cheques for Rs75,000 each among nine families.

The compensation will be paid from the $50 million grant for the families whose housing land was devastated in the earthquake.

The nazim and DCO said the USAID had donated the amount for compensation and other social sector programmes.

The social protection consultant of the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority told journalists that the UN-Habit had received 940 applications from affected families in Mansehra, 2,595 in Balakot and 550 in the defunct Jabba tent village. The consultant said 344 families from Mansehra, 1,423 from Balakot and 470 from Jabba tent village had been interviewed and 235 from Mansehra, 324 from Balakot and 257 from Jabba would be paid compensation.

The distributed cheques were also cashed on the occasion.