News
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Govt committed to early rehabilitation of earthquake victims: Raja
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, on Monday, said that the PPP-led coalition government was firmly committed to early restoration and rehabilitation of all the victims of October 2005 earthquake.
Raja said this during a briefing by the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Regulatory Authority (ERRA) at the Prime Minister’s House. He said at the time the present government had taken over, the ERRA had completed around 1,627 projects against its total portfolio of 14,000. He said under the present government, the ERRA had completed over 8,600 projects with an allocation of Rs 83 billion, which were six times more compared to those in 2008. This, the prime minister said, spoke volumes of the commitment and priority placed by the government for the early rehabilitation of October 2005 earthquake victims.
He recalled that the devastating earthquake of 2005 had rejuvenated the nation and created a new fervor, which mobalised the entire nation to come to help and rescue their fellow citizens. Raja said that the most significant challenge today was to strategise sustainable development, through reconstruction and rehabilitation work in the affected areas, to convert the adversity into an opportunity, by adopting humanitarian approach in line with the manifesto of the government.
He said it was necessary for the ERRA to come up to the expectations of the calamity-hit people as they envisaged ERRA’s performance, not merely as an obligation but a spirit of serving the humanity. Raja maintained that he expected completion of all projects at various stages on fast track basis. He expressed concern over the delay in the construction of new Balakot City Development project and directed the ERRA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to resolve the issues relating to the project within ten days. The meeting was attended by Finance Secretary Abdul Wajid Rana, EAD Secretary Javed Iqbal, Planning and Development Secretary Javed Malik, Planning and Development Additional Secretary Haseeb Akhtar, KP Chief Secretary Ghulam Dastagir, AJK Chief Secretary Shahzad Arbab, ERRA Chairman Hamid Yar Hiraj, ERRA Deputy Chairman Maj Gen M Azeem Asif, ERRA COS Brig Syed Wajid Raza, ERRA DG Finance Anwar Khan Rana and other senior officers. staff report
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk