Quake-hit areas: Complete school buildings by June next year, orders SC

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday ordered completion of all under-construction projects, including re-construction of school buildings in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), which were hit by the deadly 2005 earthquake. The court directed the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) to complete all under-construction school projects in KP by June 2022.

The court again questioned the performance of ERRA as well as the provincial government. The chief justice observed that if education and health were the priorities of the government, then all the projects would have been completed in the earthquake-hit areas long ago.

Meanwhile, in pursuance of the court’s last order, a report pertaining to the projects, along with maps and photographs, was submitted before the court. The CJ observed that the photographs of schools submitted before the court seem to be non-functional.

Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed, another member of the bench, observed that the provincial government should not hide behind ERRA, adding that the negligence of the governments had made the education sector an industry. The court also sought progress report and adjourned hearing for a month.