BALAKOT:People of Balakot on Saturday observed a one-minute silence at 8:52 am on the 17 anniversary of the devastating earthquake of 2005 to pay homage to the martyred.
In Mansehra High School floral wreaths were also laid on the mass graves of 63 children those have lost their lives during the earthquake where Assistant Commissioner Balakot Bisharat Shah and a large number of civil society members participated.
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.
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.
Like all previous years, the traders’ associations of Balakot also observed complete shutter down in the city and adjoining areas and staged a protest by blocking Mansehra Naran Jalkhad (MNJ) road repeating their demands for the reconstruction of destroyed buildings of schools, colleges, hospitals and water supply schemes in the area.
17 years ago on 8th October 2005 at 08:52 am, some 80000 people died and houses were destroyed when an earthquake of 7.6 magnitudes hit Azad Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to the statistics, the earthquake left more than 17,000 people dead in Balakot alone. Collective prayer for the victims will be offered at different places in the Balakot.
The deadly earthquake brought a wave of destruction in the Hazara division particularly in Balakot and surrounding areas. According to the figures for Provincial Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (PERRA), 2,959 schools and colleges were destroyed.
After the devastating earthquake, federal and provincial governments started rehabilitation and reconstruction of 7053 projects worth 65 billion rupees, unfortunately, most of them could not be completed.
While 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 and 5406 schemes have been completed and we have received up to 77 percent of the total expenditure.
He further said that the remaining 15 billion rupees 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 1224 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.