Rs 60,000 paid to 8000 quake-affected families in JK before Eid

Srinagar, Oct 8 (UNI) The Jammu and Kashmir government has disbursed Rs 60,000 each as the final installment of cash relief among 8000 families before Eid-ul-Fitr for construction of permanent houses in areas ravaged by the powerful earthquake of October 8 last year.

An aide to Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad told UNI that Rs 100 crore have been earmarked for disbursement as the final installment of cash relief among quake survivors to enable them to construct permanent houses before the onset of winter.

The state government had pledged a cash relief of Rs 1.35 lakh to each individual quake affected family, which was the highest compensation given so far in such natural calamities in the entire country.

He said in all 20,000 families had applied for cash relief out of which 8000 cases were cleared after they had fulfilled the condition of completing the edifice or foundation of a house before Eid-ul-Fitr for release of the promised money.

''There is no shortage of money for disbursement among the quake survivors, but we want to ensure that the amount is utilised in the construction of permanent houses only and not diverted for other purposes,'' the official said.

He said the state government had so far paid Rs 75,000 each in two installments of Rs 30,000 and Rs 40,000 along with an incentive of Rs 5000 to the affected families.

Mr Azad had directed that the entire remaining amount of Rs 60,000 be paid in one go to the those families who complete the edifice of the house before Eid so that the entire structure gets raised by December 31, the official added.

He said the Chief Minister had recently submitted to the Centre for approval of a plan of Rs 1300-1400 crore for permanent construction in the earthquake affected areas of the state.

The official said the Centre was examining the plan and had assured that the demand would be definitely fulfilled.

''There is no problem in that,'' Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil had also said at a function here on October 8 to observe the anniversary of the devastating earthquake.

The Centre had initially given a financial assistance of about Rs 550 crore to the state government to undertake reconstruction and rehabilitation measures.

The Centre was now considering a long-term rehabilitation and reconstruction plan for the State being processed by an inter-ministerial committee headed by the Vice Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority.

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