MANSEHRA, Feb 7: The Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) has reconstructed 72 per cent educational and health facilities and other infrastructure destroyed in the October 8, 2005 earthquake with the support of international community.

This was stated by Erra chairman Hamid Yar Hiraj while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the government higher secondary school and civil hospital in Baffa on Thursday.

“I salute the international community as we have completed with its help reconstruction of 72 per cent infrastructure damaged in the devastating earthquake some seven years ago,” he said.

Besides others, Minister of State for Special Education and Training Sardar Shahjehan Yousuf and MPA Mufti Kifayatullah also spoke on the occasion.

The Chinese government has completed both the projects of school and hospital at a cost of Rs879 million.

“Thanks to Chinese government and its people, who extended all possible support to the government following the devastating earthquake, and these two projects are a gift from people of China to Pakistani people,” said Mr Hiraj.

He said that Erra was striving to address the issues faced by the quake survivors, particularly those living in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Time was not far when almost all of their problems would be addressed, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Yousuf said that though Erra was working hard to complete the reconstruction projects yet sill more than 300 schools were to be reconstructed in Mansehra alone.

He said that government was making all its resource available to Erra for the early completion of the reconstruction projects particularly in the sectors of health and education.Mr Yousuf said that that Chinese government completed the construction of 40-bed hospital that was equipped with modern health facilities. He said that the higher secondary school would be a modern one where 720 students would be benefited of the building constructed with the cost of Rs396 million.

KILLED: A man was killed allegedly over a marriage dispute in Loharbanda area in Mansehra on Thursday.

Akhtar Nawaz told police that his elder brother Shahnawaz had married a girl of her free will two years ago. He said that Shahnawaz had a minor son from the marriage.

He told police that two accused Mohammad Yasir and his brother Abdul Rehman shot dead his brother and escaped. The City police station lodged FIR and started investigations. to apprehend to apprehend the culprits.