National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Maj Gen Mohammad Saeed Aleem has said that the reconstruction of installations damaged during the ongoing operation against militants in North Waziristan tribal region would take two years to complete and would cost Rs 75 billion.
The NDMA chief said that the rehabilitation of people and reconstruction in North Waziristan would take place in separate phases, according to a BBC Urdu website report published Thursday.
He said, “In the first phase, the urban areas would be made hospitable, which includes construction of houses and markets and the repair of roads, schools and hospitals. Large-scale reconstruction of the region would take place in the second phase.”
Gen Saeed added that the first phase would take six months while the complete reconstruction would complete in two years.
The NDMA chief also participated in a donors’ conference held recently in Islamabad for the affectees of North Waziristan during which several agencies gave detailed briefings over the recovery and reconstruction work in the region.
While referring to the conference, Gen Saeed gave details of the damage and said that large-scale destruction had taken place in North Waziristan which had disrupted the infrastructure system and businesses of people.
“First militants had caused damage to schools and hospitals during their activities in the region, then military action against the militants had also damaged North Waziristan’s installations,” he told BBC.