Damage assessment report likely by 15th November

ISLAMABAD—Chairman Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) Lt. General Muhammad Zubair has said that assessment work of the damages caused by the earthquake would be finalized by November 15.
In an interview with Radio Pakistan, he said that Asian Development Bank and NESPAK are busy to complete the task.
He said ERRA will finalize its planning for the first phase of reconstruction after receiving the assessment reports.
He said top priority in the first phase of reconstruction would be building houses, schools, hospitals and infrastructure to bring life back to normal in the affected areas.
The Chairman ERRA said consultants at home and abroad have been contacted for quick construction of homes in the affected areas.
He added ERRA was also collecting information about the Australian and American technologies to construct light structure houses. He said such a type of homes would be constructed in the affected areas with light weight roofs.
To a question Lt. General Zubair said that useable material of devastated buildings would be utilized in reconstruction work.
He said that the United Arab Emirates has promised to construct two hundred bed hospital in Muzaffarabad which would be completed within next four months.
He said the army has cleared sixteen thousand square feet area for the construction of the hospital and work on it would be launched within next ten days.
Sixteen relief camps have been set up in quake-hit areas for distributing food items among the quake survivors in an organised manner.
According to PTV, 20 medical camps were busy in providing medicalcare to the injured.
These camps have been set up by Russia, Turkey, Belgium, Japan and social and welfare organizations including international committee of Red Cross, Red Crescent society.
Surgeries of serious injuries were being carried out at the medical camps. Meanwhile, army engineers are busy in restoring road links with the quake-hit areas.
They have already reopened link roads to hundreds of villages of Muzafarabad, Neelum and Jhelum valleys and other mountainous areas. Muzaffarabad-Chakothi road has been reopened for traffic up to Headla Bala in Jhelum valley and up to Jewla in lower Neelum valley.
Work is in progress to re-open Laswa road to restore Muzaffarabad’s link with the surrounding villages. The helicopters continue to transport relief goods to hundreds of villages in Jhelum and Neelum valleys and other inaccessible areas.—Agencies