Earthquake victims to get compensation by next week: Lt Gen Afzal

MIRPUR, Oct 8 (APP):National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt Gen Muhammad Afzal Tuesday said around 95 percent survey of the damaged houses has been completed where the earthquake victims will get compensation money by the next week.

Talking to media, he said the survey was almost complete where the remaining would be completed in 5-6 days. The survey took time as the Authority had arranged it in a way to ensure transparency in the process and also to avoid audit anomalies, he added.

To a question, he said the federal cabinet had decided to subsume Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) in NDMA. “No body is going to be laid off during the subsuming process rather the staff would be accommodated in the new departments to be settled under ERRA,” he added.

Chairman NDMA informed the media that POF WAH and Pakistan Army Engineering Corps had been contacted to conduct control blasting for demolishing the damaged buildings in the city through a controlled process.

“It is a global practice to avoid damage to other buildings as no machinery is used to knock down building structures,” he said.

The Chairman also assured full cooperation and assistance to the earthquake victims on behalf of the governments of Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.\932\867