Call for coordinated efforts to reconstruct quake-hit areas

Srinagar (PTI): Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday called for a coordinated effort between the Centre and Jammu & Kashmir government for reconstruction of the areas in the Doda region hit by the recent earthquake. "The need of the hour is to see how relief is provided to the affected people. The government and administration should work towards that end at all levels," Azad told reporters here. The Union Health Minister, accompanied by Vice-Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority Shashidhar Reddy and a team of officers, visited the affected areas. "Among the areas we visited, Gandoh and Bhalessa Tehsil have been hit the hardest. Seventy to 85 per cent residential houses and government buildings have been damaged due to the earthquake," Azad said. The minister said separate teams should be formed to address the issues facing various sectors like infrastructure and school buildings. He said the earthquake had caused much more damage than has been reported. "The reports of damage caused by the earthquake in Bhaderwah, Gandoh and Thatri (areas of Doda) was far less compared to the actual destruction," Azad said. He said many houses have collapsed while hundreds of others have been declared unsafe for living. "As the chairman of the National Red Cross Committee, I have provided 1,000 tents but we need 5,000 to 10,000 tents to cater to the entire affected population," he said. "The Centre and the state government will have to work in coordination to provide relief to the affected people," he added.