Affectees Of Oct. 8 Devastating Earthquake Still Waiting For New Bakriyal City

BALAKOT, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Oct, 2021 ) :After passing 16 years of October 8 devastating earthquake in KP and AJ&K people of Balakot are still waiting for Bakriyal city project which was promised for the affectees of Balakot Red Zone.

During the earthquake October 8, 2005 which jolted almost all the country seriously hit district Abbottabad, Mansehra, Battagram and Kohistan while Balakot city was the worst affected area after AJK where more than 17000 people died and thousands of buildings including schools, colleges, hospitals, police stations, houses and markets were destroyed.

Unfortunately, many of the destroyed or partially damaged buildings could not be built after passing 16 years despite clear orders of Supreme Court of Pakistan adding Bakriyal city project which was promised for the affectees of Balakot city red zone area population is still in the offing.

On the eve of the 16th anniversary of the October 8 earthquake, the people of Balakot and adjoining areas observed the anniversary which took thousands of lives and destroyed Balakot city where buildings are still waiting for reconstruction.

At 8:52 a.m. a memorial was held at Balakot where the survivors of the earthquake, members of the civil society and organizations of traders attended the ceremony and also observed a minute of silence.

16 years ago on 8th October 2005 at 08:52 am, some 80000 people died and houses were destroyed when an earthquake of 7.6 magnitudes hit Azad Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to the statistics, the earthquake left more than 17,000 people dead in Balakot alone.

Collective prayer for the victims will be offered at different places in the Balakot.

The deadly earthquake brought a wave of destruction in the Hazara division particularly in Balakot and surrounding areas.

According to the figures of the Provincial Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (PERRA), 2,959 schools and colleges were destroyed and less than half of the destroyed buildings could be rebuilt.

On the 16th anniversary, the survivors are still waiting for the reconstruction of schools and health centers. Owing to a delay in the construction of New Bakriyal city where the affectees of the 2005 earthquake would be accommodated the people of Balakot decided to stage a protest on October 8 but after negotiation with district administration and surety of provision of houses in the New Bakriayal city the affectees postponed the protest.

The devastating earthquake of 2005 destroyed the buildings and infrastructure of Balakot, unfortunately, rehabilitation projects have yet not been finished after passing 16 years, no complete schools and hospital facilities are available in the earthquake-hit areas of Balakot.

3600 families of red zone Balakot those are the victim of the 2005 earthquake would get the plots at New Balakot city while inimitably up till now Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (ERRA) has finalized the allotment letters of over 1000 families and handed over only 300 allotment letters of plots.