China to rebuild quake-hit Muzaffarabad

ISLAMABAD—The Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) has decided to award the contract for the reconstruction of Muzaffarabad city to China.
This was stated by the Deputy Chairman ERRA, Lt. General Nadeem Ahmad while talking to reporters in Islamabad on Thursday. He said that the decision to this effect had already been taken and now only final touches were being given to the agreement.
It is worth mentioning here that the Chinese President Hu Jintao is scheduled to visit Islamabad next week, during which he would also review his country’s support in the reconstruction of the earthquake affected areas and rehabilitating the affected people.
Throwing light on the performance of ERRA, he said that the authority had so far distributed an amount of three billion rupees for the construction of damaged and destroyed houses in the earthquake affected areas. This amount he said was sufficient to help in the construction of over five hundred thousand residential houses.—Online