MANSEHRA, Jan 20: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will hand over 211 quake-resistant houses to the affected families of Oct 2005 earthquake here in Hassari, Ghari Habibullah, next week.
This was announced by the UAE ambassador to Pakistan, Eisa Abdullah Al Basha Al Nuaimi, while speaking to the survivor families at a function in Ghari Habibullah on Friday.
The UAE government has constructed 163 houses at Khalifa city in Hassari, 29 in Maswal and 19 in Panodari for 211 displaced families of Tungli village of Balakot, which was flattened when 7.6strong earthquake hit the region in Oct 2005.
'We will do whatever we can for our Pakistani brothers and continue our support for the rehabilitation of survivors,' said Mr Nuaimi. He said that the UAE had been working on over 120 projects to construct hospitals, roads and housing colonies for the affected people.
Secretary general of the UAE Red Crescent Mosah Al Dahi and in-charge of reconstruction, Erra, Col Shahzad accompanied the ambassador to Khalifa city.
Mosah Al Dahi said that the UAE Red Crescent had been working on about 500 projects to rehabilitate people in the area.
General secretary of the organisation for rehabilitation of survivors, Mian Mohammad, said that thefamilies who would be allotted houses at Hassari were still living in tents and makeshift houses in miserable conditions. He thanked the UAE government for building the quake-resistant housing colony for the survivors.
TOLL TAX: The district administration has turned down a request of the National Highway Authority to restart toll tax collection at Karakoram Highway in Mansehra.
The NHA has written to the district administration for its support in restarting the toll tax suspended following threats by transporters, traders and other segments of the society in 2010.
'Maintenance of law and order is my first priority and I don't want to see uncertainty after restarting the toll tax collection in Mansehra,' said DCO Dr Amber Ali, when contacted on Tuesday.
The Supreme Court had allowed the NHA to restart toll tax collection in Mansehra in mid 2011.
The committee comprising transporters, traders and lawyers had announced to resist the toll tax.
'We warn the administration not to allow toll plaza, as we will resist any move by the NHA to receive toll tax,' said the committee members in its meeting the other day.
The DCO said that the administration was in contact with the NHA to settle the issue, but peace in Mansehra could not be destroyed for monetary gains.