Multi-Donors Trust Fund (MDTF) funded Economic Revitalisation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA (ERKF) project has issued a grant of Rs 6.5 million for the rehabilitation of flood affected fish huts at Sardaryab, district Charsadda.
The local tourist and picnic spot of Sardaryab was badly affected and most of the hotels and fish huts were badly damaged in the devastating floods of 2010. The President of the fish huts association, Ajmal Khan, told that there are more than 4000 people employed in catching and selling fish along with other associated businesses. All these people were rendered jobless and lost all their belongings. He said that we survived this tragedy and restarted our businesses through our own resources. He said that we remember the days of glory prior to floods of 2010 and wish if we can reach the same level of business one day.
The businesses are operating but not at a sustainable level as all fish hut owners are indebted and cannot afford purchasing fish on cash basis reducing their profitability. They were very excited on receiving grants from Economic Revitalisation of KP and FATA (ERKF) project and were of the view that this would make the businesses sustainable.
The ERKF project handover cheques worth Rs 250,000/- amongst the affected fish hut owners. The funds will be utilised to purchase fish and furniture in order to make the business sustainable. Provincial Chief, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (SMEDA) told recipients that the grant should be utilised in the best manner so that sardaryab fish hut cluster come up as a success story.
A local trader, Humayun, said that the grant would not only revitalise their business but also make the jobs of more than 200 persons sustainable. The ERKF Project is funded by Multi Donors Trust Fund and administered by the World Bank has proved to be a ray of hope among the affected businesses and the project has succeeded in rehabilitating more than 900 businesses of KP and FATA.
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