ABBOTTABAD, Sept 13: Recent floods inflicted a total of Rs11.79 billion losses in Abbottabad, said District Coordination Officer Syed Zaheerul Islam.

He was speaking at a ceremony held here on Monday to distribute cheques among the heirs of the flood victims.

Beside others, MNA Murtaza Javed Abbasi, MPAs Barrister Javed Abbasi, Qalandar Khan Lodhi, Inyat Ullah Khan Jadoon, Sardar Shamoon Mehtab and woman MPA Naeema Nisar attended the ceremony and also distributed cheques of Rs300,000 each among the flood victims.

Mr Islam said 30 houses were destroyed, 1,436 houses damaged in the floods, which also caused damage to 105 schools and colleges, 64 health centres, 175 water supply schemes, 523 roads, five bridges and 114 government offices. Besides 4,372 acres of agri land was completely washed out while at least 70 water management schemes were damaged.

Murtaza Javed Abbasi and Barrister Javed Abbasi, speaking on the occasion, said the prime minister had ordered release of funds to the tune of Rs12 billion for the 2005 earthquake affected schemes which were previously stopped by the federal government. They informed that the government had also released funds for the construction of the first phase of Expressway from Jahri Kas to Havelian after the land acquisition, adding, further funds would also be released.

Barrister Javed Abbasi urged the federal and provincial governments not to create any separate entity to carry out the reconstruction work in the flood affected areas as they had a bitter experience in the past when authorities like Erra and Perra were constituted undermining the capability of the government departments to carry out the job.

MPA Qalandar Khan Lodhi assured full support to the people of the flood affected areas saying that all out efforts would be made to get the second installment released for the re-construction of the damaged government and private buildings.