Hazara LG reps demand schools reconstruction

MANSEHRA: The representatives of local government on Monday threatened to stage protest if the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf provincial government did not reconstruct schools left by the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (Erra).“The provincial government had sanctioned Rs4 billion for reconstruction of 194 schools but only Rs100 million had been released during the last four years,” Anwar Islam, the nazim of Balian Village Council, told a news conference at Oghi. He said the students were getting education under the open sky in this chilling weather.A group of local government representatives led by nazim of Kolka Village Council, Shaukat Hayat and nazim of Shungli Bandi Village Council Ayaz Khan said students of all such schools had been left at the mercy of the weather.It was recalled that the Education Department had razed 194 schools which had developed dangerous cracks in the October 8, 2005, devastating earthquake but Erra didn’t include them in its reconstruction strategy.“Former chief minister Pervez Khattak sanctioned Rs4 billion for reconstruction of these schools but so far hardly Rs100 million was released and reconstruction couldn’t be started as yet,” he said.Shaukat Hayat said that Chief Minister Mahmood Khan should take the matter seriously and release sanctioned amount so that reconstruction of all schools could be started.Ayaz Khan said that people in upper parts of Hazara were still bearing the brunt of 2005 devastating earthquake.He said all such 194 schools, most of them for girls, were being run in makeshift arrangements and in the open sky.“We will block the Oghi-Mansehra road to traffic if the government failed to release the sanctioned amount,” Ayaz Khan warned.

from The News International - Peshawar http://bit.ly/2CSZsFJ