ERRA halts funding to widows, orphans

ERRA stops funding for widows and orphans who were victims of the 2005 earthquake under the Kashiana project.

MUZAFFARABAD: The Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (Erra) has stopped the funding for widows and orphans who were victims of the 2005 earthquake under the Kashiana project.

Erra had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under which they were to fund the Kashiana project for two years, helping 120 widows and orphans who had lost their lands, spouses and parents in the earthquake. They had been declared most vulnerable during a survey of the earthquake-hit areas of Azad Jammu & Kashmir conducted by the authority.

The project was started one year ago after the MoU was signed between the Social Welfare Department of Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Erra.

Erra stopped funding for the Kashiana project after one year, despite the MoU stating that it would continue providing cash for two years. The widows and orphans went to the High Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir after Erra breached the agreement. The Social Welfare Department of Azad Jammu and Kashmir has gotten a stay order against Erra’s actions against its own commitment.

On the earthquake remembrance day, AJK Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed was giving a speech at a ceremony when the widows and orphans attempted to draw government functionaries’ attention by raising placards inscribed with messages such as, ‘what will happen’ and  ‘please don’t leave us unattended’. The ceremony had been organised by Erra’s sister organisation, the State Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (Serra) to commemorate the day and Ahmed was the chief guest.

The level of Erra’s interest in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the earthquake-hit areas can be gauged by their behavior with those left most vulnerable by the earthquake of October 8, 2005.

According to the officials of Social Welfare Department of AJK, the shelter home project for widows and orphans costs only Rs300,000 per month. Whereas more than 20 director-generals employed by Erra at its Islamabad headquarters, cost more than this amount.

The Social Welfare Complex which housed these widows and orphans was built under the reconstruction and rehabilitation programme supervised by Erra and is one of the state-of-the-art facilities in the earthquake-devastated capital of AJK.

The facility was visited by dozens of ambassadors of various donor countries who were told about the sheltering and caring of these widows and orphans by the officials from time to time.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 14^th, 2010.