Educational facilities in AJK, NWFP: Erra reviews pace of progress in reconstruction projects

The pace of reconstruction has been slower than expected in meeting the reconstruction targets for educational facilities in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and NWFP, said Deputy Chairman of Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (Erra) Lieutenant General Sajjad Akram. He stated this while addressing the Donors and Sponsors Conference held here on Friday.
Erra Chairman Altaf M Saleem, Director General of Erra Administration Brigadier Tariq Zaman and representatives of international and national donor agencies were also present. The Deputy Chairman said that the education sector, which showed slow progress initially, was being addressed with full commitment and the current progress was rising to 93.15 percent as compared to the last six months.
Sharing the details of sectorwise progress made by the Erra in AJK and NWFP in last six months, he informed the participants that the Erra had progressed well in rural housing sector with 69.32 percent progress rate as compared to 59.40 percent six months ago.
With an amount of Rs 63.59 billion disbursed under rural housing scheme along-with mobilisation of 761,444 professionals, the rural housing progress was exemplary, he said. He said the master plans had been finalised for four major cities, along-with priority projects being launched in Rawlakot and Bagh cities like shopping centres, roads, parks, water supply and health facilities.
He further said that in health sector, excellent progress rate was achieved with targets met in the last six months as compared to 93.15 percent progress rate of initial six months of 2008. The Erra had the target to construct 307 health facilities and remarkably all of them were under implementation stage, he added.
He said that in water and in sanitation sector, excellent progress rate was achieved as all 4,080 targets regarding water and sanitation projects were under way in NWFP and AJK. To boost communication sector, he said 141 roads along-with 92 bridges with a length of 2,393 kilometres had been constructed, thus achieving all the set targets, and added that the Erra had also strived to improve the governance sector and for that 703 offices' buildings had been built in the last six months.
Briefing the participants on revision and modifications, Brigadier Tariq Zaman said that the project implementation unit of the Erra had identified 20 dead educational institutions and now better co-ordination in the field was going on to speed up the projects in education.
He further said that two colonels and 16 major had been called from Pakistan Army on deputation for field duties. Hiring of human resources had been centralised now, rightsizing in Erra had been carried out with redundant employees being screened, along-with introduction of probation report to be presented by all Director Generals for contractual employees.
Rationalisation of pay packages for contractual employees, use of official vehicles, timelines given to Nespak and certain economic measures, including stock taking of Erra assets, and cut on unnecessary development budget had been taken up.
ERRA Chairman Altaf M Saleem said that the donors and sponsors had been exemplary in their ongoing support and today Pakistan was an example for the world in managing natural disasters. He said that completion of such a gigantic task could not have been made possible without the sincere support and help of donors and sponsors.