ISLAMABAD: As the entire Pakistani nation commemorated the 7th anniversary of October 2005 earthquake today, most of the survivors were still concerned about the pledged reconstruction work, which is still not completed.
Like an annual ritual, government functionaries started bragging about their achievements and future plans regarding the reconstruction programme, soon after the onset of October, notwithstanding a widely known bitter reality acute scarcity of cash flow.
According to figures obtained from the State Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (Serra), out of 7,984 projects/facilities, 4,693 had so far been completed, while work was ‘in progress’ on another 2,068.
Around 1,223 projects were yet to be started.
The education sector was still the worst hit, as out of the 2,792 projects, 1,714 were either ‘in progress’ or yet to be started.
According to Sardar Rahim Khan, who was recently posted as secretary Serra, the reconstruction related bodies - Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) and Serra - were unable to complete projects according to their Annual Work Plan (AWP) due to acute financial crisis faced by the country.
However, 350 projects had been completed in AJK over the last one year and of them 135 were in the education sector, he said.
A brief prepared by Serra revealed that severe financial crunch had virtually paralysed the reconstruction programme, since April 2010.
Sources in Serra said that during their last meeting with chairman and deputy chairman Erra on September 16, both the AJK president and prime minister had called for immediate release of funds and enhancement of budgetary allocations for AJK.
In the backdrop of this situation, AJK’s civil society and many political parties allege that reconstruction programme had badly suffered due to diversion of reconstruction related funds to some other heads by the PPP-led central government.
“It’s very unfortunate that the central government has brazenly diverted reconstruction related funds and is paying mere lip service to quake survivors,” said Zahid Amin, a prominent civil society activist.
Internews
