ERRA meeting approves projects for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muzaffarabad

The 16th board meeting of Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA), presided over by its chairman Hamid Yar Hiraj, was held here on Thursday and was attended by Chief Secretary Azad Jammu and Kashmir, members of Planning Division, civil society, government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and finance ministry.
The board approved PC-I for Balakot Road, Mera Tanolian Road and shopping centre, Muzaffarabad and projects of improvement and black topping of road from Lilowani to Bilkani and Kirat to Dumbaila, district Kohistan and reconstruction and rehabilitation of Maria Rehmat Khan Road, Abbottabad, KP. It also gave approval of the revised PC-I of various health and educational facilities including District Headquarter (DHQ) Hospital Neelum, Tehsil Headquarter (THQ) Hospital Hajira and Hattianbala and some other projects.
Giving a clear mandate to complete the on-going projects in hand in 24 months, Hamid Hiraj said ERRA will exist beyond 2011. He further said rumours and misperceptions about ERRA winding up have no grounds and after finishing the projects in hand, the expertise of ERRA would be utilised elsewhere. He thanked all the board members for their support and time given to help ERRA achieve its task of reconstruction and rehabilitation in the earthquake-affected areas.
Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Chairman ERRA, Lieutenant General Muhammad Haroon Aslam apprised the members on the current Balakot issue and said that work in the district had been suspended. However, as a result of meetings with the chief minister KP and other stakeholders since September 2009, ERRA has now re-strategized its approach, adopting a modular approach where work on D-Block in New Balakot and the mosque funded by Qaddafi Foundation has commenced.
He also apprised the members of the new initiatives by ERRA administration, including establishment of human resource management department, transparency cell and getting a third party evaluation from Earnest and Young, which will enhance ERRA's strength as an organisation. He assured that rehabilitation of Old Balakot affectees remains their top priority and chairman ERRA is likely to meet chief minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in this regard in the coming days.-PR