ISLAMABAD, Nov 10: President General Pervez Musharraf said on Thursday he would unfold at the Nov 19 donors’ conference a plan for reconstruction and rehabilitation of areas ravaged by the Oct 8 earthquake.

Speaking at the fourth Postgraduate Convocation of the National University of Sciences and Technology, he said the newly-created Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) was in the process of compiling data on damage right from the city to district and tehsil levels.

Based on ERRA data, the president said he would unveil the reconstruction plan at the conference to be attended by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and representatives of international finance institutions (IFIs).

“I would appeal to the people and countries to contribute to the Presidential Relief Fund (PRF) or sponsor the construction of a house, school, college or perhaps an entire village,” he added.

“What we are aiming is not just rebuilding the devastated areas but going beyond that by reconstructing facilities better than before by using modern technology,” he added.

President Musharraf pointed out that no country in the world could handle disaster of this magnitude alone. “In the disaster of this level, there will be shortcomings but with the help of the people, we have done what no other country could have done.”

The October 8 calamity has also brought to the fore limitations in dealing with such natural disasters which ought to be set right by acquiring technical expertise to carry out rescue operations in the minimum possible time, he added.

Expressing confidence to overcome this colossal challenge, the president said that the government had prepared an effective strategy for reconstruction and rehabilitation. “This is doable and we will do it,” he added.

President Musharraf said the government was targeting the distribution of Rs20 billion among the quake-affectees to help them rebuild their lives after the colossal tragedy.

“The people in the affected areas have no money and need assistance,” the president added.

He said the biggest challenge at this moment was to give immediate financial assistance to the people in the affected areas that would help generate business and economic activities there.

“Aside from compensation of Rs100,000 for people who have lost their family members, Rs25,000 would be provided for each damaged house in Azad Kashmir and the NWFP. The government is also extending Rs25,000 to Rs50,000 to each injured as compensation,” he added.

The president described availability of tents and airlifting of some 4000 tons of relief goods from various countries as two immediate challenges.

“We are making efforts to provide 500,000 tents to the homeless people by the end of November,” he said.

He said airlifting of 4000 tons of relief goods lying in foreign countries was another challenge and the government was trying to transport these goods at the earliest. Nato and other friendly countries were assisting Pakistan in this effort, he added.

The president was confident that the government and the people of Pakistan would turn this challenge into an opportunity by providing the stricken people with better houses and basic facilities of health, education, clean drinking water, and infrastructure on modern lines. The new structures would be quake- and fireproof and cost effective as well, he added.

President Musharraf said there were people on highlands who did not want to come down to valleys and the government had to help them build their houses there. —APP