MUZAFFARABAD, July 20: AJK chief secretary Kashif Murtaza has said that the people of Muzaffarabad had shown exemplary forbearance in the face of trauma and adversities and, therefore, all government departments should extend all possible help and cooperation to them with a missionary spirit.

He expressed these views at a meeting held on Thursday to look into implementation of the master plan for AJK capital. Those attended the meeting included director general State Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Serra), chairman Development Authority Muzaffarabad and administrator Municipal Corporation Muzaffarabad.

The technical teams of the DAM and the MCM were asked to expedite the ongoing survey for implementation of the master plan, prepared by Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), in all localities of the capital.

The teams would also approve reconstruction of houses etc by those citizens who abide by the principles laid down in the master plan. It was also resolved that the DAM would act as the controlling authority and approve designs of residential and commercial buildings under ‘one window operation’.

In the same context, it was decided that the DAM would itself obtain technical opinion on such designs from the MCM, the public works department and other relevant offices instead of making the survivors shuttle between different departments.

Mr Murtaza advised people to consult qualified engineers and architects for drawings of new constructions. He said people could also seek help and guidance on construction designs available on Erra”s website.

The government, he said, had allowed private engineering firms to offer guidance and prepare drawings in order to facilitate the homeless survivors.

He directed the government departments to keep unoccupied pieces of land available for possible widening of roads and streets according to the land use plan. There should not be any constructions on these pieces of land, he said.

The chief secretary made it clear that those whose buildings or of lands would be used in widening of roads would be compensated at market rates before start of work.

The meeting was told that survey and evaluation teams would begin their job in urban areas within a week so as to pave way for early payment of second instalment of compensation to owners of damaged houses.