Gilani for early completion of remaining projects in quake-affected areas
ISLAMABAD, July 12 (APP): Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani Tuesday stressed “concerted efforts” for early completion of the remaining Rs 100 billion worth of projects in the earthquake affected areas. Addressing a conference of International Donors and Sponsors Conference here at the PM Secretariat, Prime Minister Gilani said the “untiring sense of commitment” needs to be taken forward to ensure completion of left-over projects, mostly in the education sector. He told the meeting attended by President AJ & K, Prime Minister AJ&K, Chairman ERRA Hamid Yar Hiraj, Deputy Chairman ERRA Lt. General Sardar Mahmood Ali Khan, ambassadors and representatives of international donor agencies and organisations, that projects worth Rupees 365 billion have been completed.
Gilani acknowledged the role of all the national and international agencies who stood by the people and the government of Pakistan to help the affected people of mega disasters in Pakistan be it Earthquake of 2005, IDP Crisis of 2008-2009 or the Floods of 2010, to heal the scars of the earthquake affected people.
He said five years down the devastating earthquake of 2005, life has moved on due to concerted efforts made by the government, State government of AJK, the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, people of Pakistan and proactive role of donors and sponsors and above all the resilient people of Pakistan.
The Prime Minister noted the development works undertaken in the earthquake affected areas, at a time, when the nation was struggling to address the complex socio-economic challenges and was actively engaged in war against terrorism.
He said since the earthquake of October 8, 2005, ERRA its implementing partners have made quantum leaps in rebuilding modern facilities to bring life back to normalcy in the affected areas.
Gilani expressed satisfaction that the ERRA has accomplished various targets; including completion of early relief phase at a cost of Rs 130 billion, construction of over 600,000 seismically safe houses at a cost of Rs 76 billion, completion of over 7100 infrastructure projects at the cost of Rs 150 billion, completion of water and sanitation programme.
He said the ERRA also completed Disaster Risk Management programme, medical rehabilitation of persons with disabilities’ programme, Legal Aid programme, provision of land for houses to the landless, Gender Equality Programme and many other interventions in the social protection sector. 
The Prime Minister termed the timely efforts of the government in partnership with the stakeholders there in preventing outbreak of any epidemic and termed it a “landmark achievement.”
He said to date ERRA and its partners have implemented programmes worth Rs 365 billion in the earthquake affected areas, which have brought a sea change in the quality of life in the disaster-hit areas.
He said realization of ERRA’s mission to “Build Back Better” in the nine earthquake affected districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would not have been possible without the unrelenting support of bilateral and multilateral donors and sponsors.
He said despite the havoc caused by 2010 floods, the international donors and sponsors have been consistent in their support and were fulfilling the promises made to the people of AJ&K and KPK, besides continuing to support ERRA in its reconstruction activities.
The Prime Minister said that in a short span of time ERRA has received national and international recognition in disaster management and risk reduction.
Over the years this organization has evolved into an efficient disaster management outfit, with robust standard operating procedures and quality control mechanisms, whereby, ERRA has become the first government organization to be ISO Certified, he added.
He also noted that ERRA has been awarded prestigious United Nations Sasakawa Award 2011 for its outstanding performance.
“This award is indeed a matter of great pride not only for ERRA, as the apex disaster management organization but also for the entire nation.”
Gilani said the government has expressed its complete confidence in ERRA by awarding it a permanent status and also extending its mandate throughout the country.
“We are in the process of renaming ERRA as the National Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority which will bring it with new challenges and even greater responsibilities,” the Prime Minister said.
“I am confident that the Authority will live up to the expectations of people of Pakistan in the face of all odds,” the prime minister said.
Representatives of foreign donor agencies and ambassadors apprised the meeting about their role in the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.
Ambassador of China to Pakistan Liu Jian said the Chinese government has given a priority to rehabilitation and reconstruction in the earthquake affected areas.
He said the Chinese government has provided an assistance of RMB 65 million for construction of a school and a medical centre. He said his government would also set up ten earthquake monitoring centers in Pakistan, of which six have been completed and connected to the Data Processing centre at Islamabad. He said remaining centers would complete by years’ end. He said upgradation of the Karakoram Highway was also being undertaken.
Ambassador Robin Raphael of the USAID, representatives of the government of Saudi Arabia, Asian Development Bank, DFID of the United Kingdom and the United Nations appreciated the role of the ERRA in rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.
They spoke of the measures taken by their respective governments and organisations at various stages of rehabilitation and reconstruction effort.
The Deputy Head of Mission of the Saudi embassy said on the directives of the Saudi leadership an air and sea bridge was setup to bring relief goods to Pakistan.
He said Saudi government constructed 8000 houses at Balakot, Muzaffarabad and Bagh, besides building eight Basic Health Units and 28 schools at various locations.
The representative of DFID said the UK has extended its program till Feb 2012 and was keen to see that the remaining work on the educational institutions was completed.
Ambassador Robin Rapheal said she was pleased to note that the United States was amongst the first responders and the Chinook helicopters got a legendary status.
Chairman ERRA Hamid Yar Hiraj said the objective of the organisation believed in bringing about a positive change in the lives of the people and to complete the remaining projects.
He said of the pledges of US 5.5 billion the international community has provided an actual amount of US 5.7 billion dollars so far.
Deputy Chairman Lt Gen Sardar Mahmood Ali Khan in a presentation mentioned that ERRA has constructed 25,442 houses at a cost of Rs 3.6 billion, while 0.6 million houses in rural areas were constructed at a cost of Rs 73 billion and the authority got the coveted Sasakawa Award of the UN.
He said 92 percent projects in water and sanitation have been completed, while only 35 per cent projects in the education sector have been completed and sought more funding for completion of the projects.