ISLAMABAD, Jan 13: A model town named “New Balakot” is turning out to be a reality on the outskirts of old Balakot, which was completely devastated by the October 8, 2005 earthquake that took heavy toll of life and property in the extreme north of NWFP and parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Master plan of the new town took almost two years to complete and work on infrastructure was expected to take another two years after which the enlisted people would be allotted plots to enable them to start construction of their houses. The construction of the houses is also likely to take another five to ten years.

Degree of destruction in Balakot according to the Erra assessment was 95 percent, in which 6,500 people lost their lives and approximately 4,500 houses were destroyed.

Later seismic studies conducted in March 2006 revealed that the entire city was located in red zone because of multiple fault lines passing through the city.

Old Balakot was full of scenic beauty located across the fast running Kunhar river, which merges with the Jhelum river in AJK but it was an unplanned town with population concentrated at a hilltop without properly planned streets, drainage or sewerage system.

Even, the town was never run by a municipal body, although it became tehsil headquarters in 1985 and came under tehsil municipal administration in 2001 when local bodies were elected.

Most of the devastation caused to the town including large number of deaths, injuries, and house collapses were because of lack of this planning and any building code adopted.

The construction of basic infrastructure jointly executed by the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) and Nespak in New Balakot (old Bakrayal) began in October last year, which is to be completed in two years after which plotting will start.

The authorities are divided on the criteria of allotment of plots and there is also difference of estimates of the cost between the local leaders and the Nespak planners.

The Erra in collaboration with the NWFP government has so far acquired over 7,000 kanals of land and the process of getting more three thousand kanals was in the final stages.

Work on infrastructure including construction of drainage and sewerage system, roads, bridges and culverts started in October last year is scheduled to complete within next two years.

However, acquiring of the total required land will remain trouble for the planners as the owners of the land were resisting selling their land on paltry price, being only bread earning source for them.

The Nespak has estimated a cost of $200 million of which Libyan government will provide $25 million, DFID budgetary support $35 million, Saudi Fund $70 million, and $70 million will be provided by the Pakistan government.

The Libyan government through the Qadafi Foundation under a memorandum of understanding signed in November last year has committed to build a tehsil headquarter hospital building, two degree colleges for boys and girls, two secondary and four primary schools, a vocational training institute, a central mosque, a Jamia mosque and two mohallah mosques.

However, question mark remains as to how the would-be plot allottees will be able to construct their houses in accordance with the design provided by the Nespak, when most of them belong to lower middle class.

There is no chance that they will still have the money provided to them by the Erra in two instalments to construct their house and it is also impossible for them to get bank loans for the purpose which they can never pay back.

The government thus has to find out how it will materialise the dream of erecting a modern model village of the Balakot size 20km downward and 15km upward Mansehra town.

Meanwhile, the Nespak has proposed to the government that the old town can be converted into a tourism resort by building modern picnic facilities across both sides of the Kunhar river and for this purpose foreign investors should be invited.

Because Balakot is located at the gates of world’s the most beautiful mountainous Kaghan valley which include Shogran, Naran, Lalazar and Saiful Muluk, there seems to be big opportunities for the investors to build good hotels and resorts for the tourists from across the country and abroad.