Rehabilitation of displaced Fata tribesmen: Donors meet next month to raise $200 million

PESHAWAR, Jan 22: A donors’ conference will be held next month to raise the required $200 million fund for quick rehabilitation of internally displaced persons of Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
A handout issued here on Sunday said that during a presentation on Fata Disaster Management Authority, held at Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Barrister Masood Kausar was told that so far 145,338 displaced families out of total 298,715 had been sent back to their permanent dwellings.
The whole process cost Rs7391.260 million including onetime cash grant of Rs25,000 per family and Rs15,000 for provision of six-month ration to each returning household. The repatriated families belonged to Bajaur, Mohmand, Orakzai, Kurram and South Waziristan agencies.
Fata Additional Chief Secretary Fazal Karim Khattak and FDMA Director General Arshad Khan also attended the briefing.
The governor was told that an Early Recovery Mechanism for Fata was set up to lay foundations for long term development of the area by catalysing sustainable uplift opportunities for the returning families.
“Key sectors identified in this regards include agriculture, food assistance, health and nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, education, community restoration, infrastructure and protection,” the handout said.
The transitional recovery process will initially cover four key agencies including Bajaur, Mohmand, Orakzai and South Waziristan.
The participants of the briefing were told that an Early Recovery Framework for quick rehabilitation of IDPs was set up with an estimated cost of $200 million for which a fund raising donors’ conference would be convened next month.
The governor was informed that 298,715 families, who were displaced from their permanent abodes in different agencies on different occasions, were registered till the end of year 2011in Jalozai, Togh Serai, Nahaqi, Danish School and New Durrani camps.
Nahaqi and Danish School camps were closed after the inmates moved back to their homes whereas IDPs still lodged in the remaining camps were being provided adequate relief.
About payment of compensation for the damaged properties of IDPs, the governor was told that Rs1054 million were distributed among 8,618 residents of Bajaur Agency so far. It was said that 5,518 returning families were provided shelters in Bajaur, Mohmand, Orakzai and South Waziristan agencies.
On the occasion, Mr Khan said that FDMA also came to rescue flood victims in 2010 and provided relief to people in Khyber, Mohmand, South Waziristan, Frontier Region of Dera Ismail Khan, FR Peshawar, FR Kohat and FR Tank.
The relief goods including tents, non-food items, food packages, hygiene kits and blankets were provided to flood survivors, he said, adding Rs32.200 million cash compensation was
also paid to the legal heirs of 91 deceased and 89 injured.
He said that FDMA was established after the extension of National Disaster Management Order to Fata in 2008 while it initiated rudimentary functions in mid 2010 by its successful response to the floods. The FDMA, he said, was working on modern lines to meet any situation in the wake of natural and man made calamities.
“The FDMA works through its emergency response cells, established at its headquarters and agency level, besides having an effective monitoring mechanism and data compilation and online tracking systems,” he added.