Traders observe shutter down on 2005 quake anniversary

The traders’ associations of Balakot observed a complete shutter down in the city and adjoining areas and staged a protest by blocking Mansehra-Naran Jalkhad (MNJ) road, demanding the reconstruction of destroyed buildings of schools, colleges, hospitals and water supply schemes in the area.

Seventeen years ago, on October 8 at 08:52 am, some 80,000 people died and houses were destroyed when an earthquake of 7.6 magnitudes hit Azad Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The deadly earthquake brought a wave of destruction in the Hazara division particularly in Balakot and surrounding areas.

In Tehsil Balakot of district Mansehra still, 70 schools have not been constructed and the allotment of plots in New Balakot City could not be completed yet.

On Saturday, people of Balakot observed a one-minute silence at 8:52am on the 17 anniversary of the devastating earthquake of 2005 to pay homage to the martyrs.

In Mansehra High School floral wreaths were also laid on the mass graves of 63 children those have lost their lives during the earthquake.

Balakot Assistant Commissioner Bisharat Shah and a large number of civil society members participated.

Later, the survivors of the earthquake, members of the civil society, students and other organizations offered Fatiha at the government boy’s high school graveyard for the people who have lost their lives in the earthquake.

After the devastating earthquake, federal and provincial governments started rehabilitation and reconstruction of 7,053 projects worth Rs65 billion, unfortunately, most of them could not be completed.

Talking to the media, PERRA Chief Engineer Syed Yousuf Shah said that up to 77 percent of work on the reconstruction of the destroyed buildings has been completed. He added that 5,406 schemes have been completed and they have received up to 77 percent of the total expenditure.

He further said that the remaining Rs15 billion have also been released which is being used for under-construction schemes that would be completed within due course of time.

In 2005, the earthquake also destroyed or damaged 9 health facilities in Balakot including the Tehsil headquarters hospital and 8 Basic health units in other areas of the Tehsil. All 9 projects of reconstruction in the health sector are still in progress.

After the earthquake NGOs sponsored 358 schools where 346 schools have been completed while 5 schools are under-construction and the rest of the 7 buildings are in the process of tendering and designing.

According to the executive summary of ERRA projects in districts Mansehra and Torghar in the education sector, ERRA pledged 1,224 projects completed 876, under-construction 86 and 262 are in the phase of designing and tendering.

In other sectors including enforcement, livelihood, health, governance, medical rehabilitation, power, town planning, transport, and Watsan ERRA has pledged 1599 projects and completed 1387, under construction projects are 123 and 63 projects are in the phase tendering and designing in both districts.