Government to launch owner-driven construction in earthquake zone
The government will launch a $2.4 billion assessment and payment programme from April 7 to ensure construction of 600,000 houses in quake zone before next winter, Altaf Saleem, chairman of the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA), said on Wednesday.
The government has already distributed the first installment of Rs 25,000 among 565,000 earthquake victims to start rebuilding their houses on owner-driven basis and teams has been constituted to assess and present recommendations for the second installment.
Explaining the rationale behind the owner-driven strategy, the chairman said that people have to be given incentives to start building shelter as early as possible. “The government will provide the money and they will provide speed,” he said.
Saleem said that the government will fund, design and provide guidelines to the people to construct their houses and ERRA will supervise the quality of construction. “Our role is not to go into construction but to plan, facilitate and monitor,” he added.
The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and NWFP governments were looking after the implementation of the programme. The ERRA chairman said that teams were being dispatched to the quake-areas to carry out assessments, as there were different levels of compensation for completely destroyed and slightly damaged houses.
“Those whose houses were damaged will be given a total of Rs 75,000, out of which Rs 25,000 has already been given. Similarly, the government is providing Rs 175,000 for completely destroyed houses and Rs 25,000 have been given in the first installment,” he said. A system has been put in place to decide whether the house was destroyed or damaged.
“We are using satellite imaging and digital cameras for the assessments, which will help in dealing with complaints regarding compensations,” Saleem said.
The assessment teams include officials of the local government (Grade-17 officers), army, police, engineers, and local leaders to eliminate chances of misuse of funds.
“There may be people who lost ten-room houses and others who have lost one room houses. However, the government has estimated that 400 square feet is the minimum requirement of a family. The government has to treat them all on an equal basis,” he added.
Saleem said that the government was also spending Rs 4.5 billion to help the most vulnerable people through a livelihood programme. “The government will provide Rs 3,000 for six months to a daily wage-earner, who is building his house and can not work to earn his livelihood,” he said. Widows looking after orphans will also be compensated under the livelihood programme, he said.
Referring to the infrastructure, the chairman said that the government wanted to construct schools and hospitals during the first three years of the programme.
He described the sponsorship programme as an important element of the reconstruction phase. The sponsorships were only for construction of government buildings, the chairman said. The government was discouraging sponsorships in constructing houses to avoid duplication of funds given to the people, he said.
ERRA has already signed sponsorship programmes with Germany, Turkey and local organisations such as Shell and Aga Khan Foundation. “The government has allocated land to the sponsors and they have been asked to construct buildings according to our design through their own contractors,” he added.
Source: Daily Times
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