New era of progress to dawn in quake-hit areas: General Nadeem

Deputy Chairman Earthquake Re-construction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmad said that with the completion of ongoing mega projects in earthquake-affected areas of Azad Kashmir and NWFP, a new era of progress and prosperity would dawn there.
"Various on-going projects will be completed soon within the stipulated period", he told NNI during an interview. He said the authority was strictly monitoring development projects and ensuring utilisation of funds in a transparent manner by following strict financial discipline.
He pointed out that ERRA received two lakh complaints during one and a half years and out of then one lakh ten thousand complaints were found genuine and action was taken for their redressal. Ninety thousand complaints were rejected which were not genuine.
He pointed out that most of the complaints related to estimates of the construction of damaged houses, delay in payment of money by the banks, assessment regarding upgrading of houses and other related matters.
The ERRA Deputy Chairman said that efforts were taken to improve the performance of the staff and officers and a check and balance system was introduced and actions were taken against officials involved in misuse of authority.
He said that President Musharraf has directed that a report should be prepared for deputing highly qualified doctors and teachers in the hospitals and educational institutions in earthquake hit areas.
He disclosed that the fourth and last instalment of financial grant has been released to the affected people. Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmad further said that he was satisfied with the pace of development work in housing, education, sanitation and water-supply projects.
He said that 300000 houses were under construction, while 250000 houses have been completed. He informed that 5 lakh 71 thousand houses were damaged in the earthquake. Giving details of the relief measures, he said that 2 lakh 68 thousand families were given three thousand rupees per month as monetary help.
In the health sector ERRA was totally successful as no epidemic disease broke out in the affected area, he said and added four thousand water and sanitation schemes were underway. He said as a result of Donors Conference, six and a half billion rupees were donated for relief and rehabilitation of the quake-hit people, which is encouraging.