PESHAWAR, May 8: The government has finalised a compensation package to help the tribal people reconstruct their houses, which were destroyed during military operations in the militancy-hit Bajaur Agency.

“Under the package, worked out by the authorities, Rs400,000 will be paid for an extensively damaged house and Rs160,000 for a partially damaged house, in three installments. The payment to the affected households is likely to be started by the end of this month or from early June,” Officials in the Fata Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) told Dawn .

They said that of the 8,668 affected houses 3,265 were completely destroyed and 5,403 partially damaged. They said that 2,000 commercial properties, including shops and small industrial units, had been demolished in Bajaur Agency where security forces launched operation in August 2008 to eliminate militancy and restore the government's writ.

Damage to properties in Chamarkand and Nawagai tehsils, where military operation still continues, have not been included in the compensation list. The officials said that these two tehsils had not been de-notified as conflict zones as yet.

They justified a large-scale demolition of human settlements in Bajaur Agency, saying that militants had turned residential compounds into hideouts from where they fired at the security forces.

The officials said that under the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) the authorities could destroy properties of tribal people if a building was used for a hostile action. “When people fled their homes militants took over the residential compounds and carried out attacks against forces,” said an official.

Local people said that houses of families who had supported government action against the militants had also been destroyed. “Militants killed two of my family members for supporting government action, but our house was also bulldozed,” said an aggrieved tribesman.Security forces have also destroyed houses and commercial properties in other parts of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, but affected people are not paid compensation yet.

In Mehsud area of South Waziristan Agency some 15,000 houses were demolished in operation Zalzala (earthquake) in January 2008, but the families are yet to get compensation. The officials said that damage assessment of private properties in other tribal agencies was a hectic job. The government had announced compensation package, but did not fulfill its commitment.

The FDMA officials said that people in Bajaur would also get cash compensation for their damaged commercial properties and the issue was being discussed with donors.

Affected families would get cash compensation through banks and some 2,500 people had opened their accounts. The tribal people have complained that compensation process is very slow and majority of the affected families can not rebuild their damaged properties owing to lack of resources.

A resident of Damadola said that his family had been living in a rented house in Khar, the regional headquarters Bajaur Agency, for the last two years. He said that the government should pay the compensation money in lump sum instead of three installments, so that the affected people could reconstruct their houses and start life afresh.