Report: Tariq Naqash
Muzaffarabad, April, 22: Representatives of the government and opposition as well as members of the civil society from the earthquake affected capital of Pakistan administered Kashmir capital resolved here on Tuesday to jointly endeavour for early initiation, execution and completion of mega development projects in their town.
The consensus was arrived at a dialogue jointly organised by Action Aid Pakistan and Press for Peace (PFP) at a hotel which was attended by two ministers, one adviser, political leaders, traders, lawyers, journalists and other civil society members.
Earlier, director general State Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (Serra) Dr Syed Asif Hussain and chairman Development Authority Muzaffarabad (DAM) Zahid Amin updated the participants on the latest situation regarding the implementation of Muzaffarabad’s much hyped master plan. They also answered questions from the participants on issues relevant to them.
Dr Hussain highlighted the salient features of $361 million Muzaffarabad City Development Project (MCDP), $300 million of which is Chinese preferential buyers’ credit (soft loan) whereas the rest is pooled by the government of Pakistan.
However, he admitted that the commercial contract between the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) and the Chinese construction companies was yet to be signed due to a dispute over the profit percentage.
But he was hopeful that the issue would be amicably resolved and Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani would shortly visit Muzaffarabad to perform the groundbreaking of some projects under the umbrella of MCDP.
The detailed designing of these projects had been done by the Chinese and would be launched shortly after the signing of commercial contract, he said.
Earlier, Amin had alleged that some vested interests were opposed to the implementation of the master plan and wanted to “pacify” the people of the ravaged town by merely spending Rs 2 billion on a few projects.
However, Dr Hussain clarified that as the agreement with the Chinese companies appeared to have hit the snags, the Erra offered Rs 2 billion from internal resources for early execution of some identified projects on the priority list.
He dispelled the impression that the quantum of MCDP had been reduced.
Amin praised deputy chairman Erra Lt-Gen Nadeem Ahmed and his team for their “all out support, concern and efforts” for early reconstruction of Muzaffarabad but cautioned that after the takeover of civilian government in Islamabad some elements were bent upon winding up the MCDP.
He urged the ministers sitting in the audience to persuade the Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan to seek immediate intervention of Deputy Chairman Planning Commission of Pakistan, Chinese ambassador and other senior federal government functionaries to thwart such designs.
“Muzaffarabad has suffered beyond description in the Oct 2005 disaster and if the international community has pledged some projects to its people, there should not be any delay in their execution,” he said.
He was bitter about “waste of time” in getting the profit percentage of Chinese companies slashed.
“How much it will save us? Hardly one or two billions. In a country where several billion rupees have been squandered and looted, this ‘saving’ sounds ridiculous. We must go ahead with the profit percentage which both sides have agreed upon at the moment in view of the sufferings of the people,” a visibly emotional DAM chief said.
Participants were equally aghast at what they described preferential induction of outsiders in jobs created in various projects after the earthquake.
One of them claimed that he had two MAs and 10 years experience in social sector but he had been denied one after the other job.
“We are the victims of the earthquake. But we are being ignored in jobs that are primarily our right,” he said.
The ministers sounded equally anguished by the appointment of outsiders as they endorsed the critical comments of the participants on the issue.
“We have also expressed our distrust in the committee which has appointed non-State subjects against hefty salaries. We agree to your viewpoint in this regard. If these issues are not addressed we may raise them at every forum,” said minister for agriculture Ghulam Murtaza Gillani.
“These jobs should have been given to the affected people on priority basis. But what has been done seems to be a sheer violation of human rights,” remarked Abdul Majid Khan MLA, adviser to PaK premier.
He was of the view that induction of experts was acceptable, given their unavailability here, but appointment of non-technical staff from outside was intolerable.
Khan, in whose family alone 14 people were killed during the quake, asked senior lawyer and opposition Peoples Party leader Khawaja Farooq Ahmed to challenge such violations in the courts of law.
Mahmood Baig, president of hard-line National Students Federation, however raised a thought provoking point, saying that those local officials and contractors must not go scot-free who were responsible for sub-standard construction of official buildings which instantly killed thousands of people, particularly children.
He also pointed out that almost all officials of Erra and Serra, even if doing the desk job, were allotted expensive vehicles, each costing a minimum of Rs 3 million, while the survivors were still looking for of basic amenities.
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