ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) to submit details of funds collected for 2005 earthquake relief and reconstruction.
A three-member SC bench comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar, and Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi heard the case filed by Prof Muhammad Ibrahim Khan against ERRA regarding funds received from the donor countries for relief and reconstruction of the earthquake affected areas in 2005.
During the course of proceedings, the court summoned Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s chief secretary and secretary of relief work.
The court asked how much funds were collected for rehabilitation of the earthquake-affected areas and how much funds generated at the national and international levels were spent on the relief and construction in affected areas.
The bench further asked how much funds remained from the amount collected for the quake relief and which institution was keeping these funds.
The court also directed the KP chief secretary to submit a separate reply in writing.
During the hearing, the ERRA Director informed the court that Rs205 billion were spent on the earthquake-affected people of Balakot and Mansehra. Upon this, Justice Ijaz asked whether the spending of this Rs205 billion amount was audited.
He directed the ERRA to submit its report along with the report of the Auditor General. He said that the country was moving in a round for 18 years since the earthquake in 2005.
Subsequently, the hearing was adjourned for four weeks.
It is to be recalled that on October 8, 2005, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck northern Pakistan causing massive devastation.
The earthquake affected an area of almost 30,000 square kilometres; equivalent to the size of Belgium. At least 75,000 people were killed, and some four million people were left homeless by one of the in the worst calamities ever in Pakistan.
