Rs 20.50 crores being released for Uri earthquake affected families

Srinagar, Feb 25 (UNI) The Jammu and Kashmir government has announced it will release another Rs 20.50 crores for the victims of October 8, 2005 killer quake in Uri in north Kashmir.

Rs 52 crores have already been provided as relief to 8500 affected families so far, an official spokesman said today.

He said Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Basharat Ahmad, who was visited Uri yesterday, was informed that Rs 20.50 crores would be distributed within the coming 15 days and the concerned Sub- District Magistrate has been directed to speed up the distribution process.

Mr Ahmad also inaugurated the residential building constructed by Health Voluntary Organisation, a local NGO.

About 50 houses, one community centre, one school and one health centre have been constructed by the said NGO for the quake victims.

About 1400 peoples died in the quake and about 1.5 lakh houses were damaged in the quake in north Kashmir. However, the magnitude of damage on the other side of the Line of Control in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) was much higher. The quake also damaged the Uri-Muzaffarabad road, forcing authorities to suspend the Karvaan-e-Aman bus for about three months.

UNI