LAHORE, Oct 26: Federal Kashmir Affairs, Northern Areas and Frontier Regions Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat has said the provision of safe and affordable shelter to quake-hit people at the earliest is top priority of the government.

He said at an experts conference on “Safe and speedy reconstruction of quake-hit areas” here on Wednesday rehabilitation of the devastated areas was expected to cost $5 billion to $7 billion whereas only Rs19 billion to Rs20 billion were expected to be raised through the President’s Relief Fund. The US had pledged $1.3 billion while other donors were meeting to pledge assistance on Thursday (today).

He said the government was working on short and medium term programmes for the rehabilitation of the quake victims. Nearly 200,000 houses had been destroyed in Kashmir and 70,000 in Mansehra. Payment of compensation of Rs25,000 to Rs50,000 on the basis of damage assessment reports would be started from today to enable them to repair their houses under the short term programme. The government did not intend to relocate the people as they were not likely to agree to leave their homes, he added.

He said 55 countries were engaged in the relief operations in the quake-hit areas. Latest technology was also available. The government had to decide which of the technologies would be safe and affordable in accordance with the condition of the ground.

He said the government had decided to review the building by-laws for incorporating provisions for ensuring construction of buildings capable to withstand the quakes. The Pakistan Engineering Council and architects organizations should propose suitable amendments to the laws, he continued.

He stressed on the need for amendments to the building by-laws after collapse of Margalla Tower in Islamabad where buildings were considered the safest in the country. Around 100 people had lost their lives in Margalla Tower collapse.

He said the Margalla Tower had collapsed because it did not conform to quake safety standards. Turkish prime minister had disclosed during his recent visit to Pakistan that quakes shook his country every week. Intensity of every quake exceeded eight on Richter scale and it was followed by 50 to 100 aftershocks. Buildings in Turkey withstood jolts because they had been built in accordance with the prescribed safety standards.

He said the quake had hit four districts in Azad Kashmir where around 2.5 million people had been affected and every second family had suffered a casualty. Another 1.5 million had been affected in Mansehra. Neelam and Jhelum valleys were completely blocked as a result of landslides and were accessible only by helicopter for providing relief to the victims. The quake had struck four and a half districts in the NWFP but Northern Areas had not been affected by it.

He said over 60,000 people had lost their lives and 100,000 had been injured. Nearly 200,000 houses and infrastructure developed during the past 57 years had been destroyed. The quake had razed 80 per cent police stations, schools, colleges and hospitals to the ground. Muzaffarabad-Chokothi Road built at a cost of Rs210 million for starting Srinagar bus service had been completely destroyed.

Experts Study Forum president Engineer Mian Fazal Ahmad said engineers and architects were faced with the challenge of devising a strategy for speedy rehabilitation of one million families. He proposed formation of consortium of architects and engineers for designing buildings capable of withstanding quakes.

US-based engineer Amjad Jafri said houses to be rebuilt in the affected areas should be capable to withstand quake and should not have more than two-storeys.

He said the engineers and architects should be allowed to regulate rebuilding of quake-hit areas instead of being sidelined like in the past.

Nespak former managing director Engineer Asif Salim said seismic code required to be updated immediately as it categorized most parts of the country safe from quake damage.

He said only single-storey houses should be built with hollow concrete blocks. Stone masonry should be avoided.

Architect Nayyer Ali Dada said tents and portable pre-fabricated houses should be provided on priority for saving the lives of survivors. A detailed survey of the faultline was also necessary.

Dr Gulzar Haider said designs for shelters for the victims should be selected cautiously as unscrupulous elements were out to sell their products.

Former federal minister Dr Mubashar Hasan said efforts made for providing relief to the quake victims would be criticized despite being unprecedented.