Gujarat spends Rs 527 crore in Kutch rehab

The government of Gujarat has spent Rs 527.35 crore on the rehabilitation and rebuilding of the earthquake-ravaged Kutch district.

The amount was spent in the second phase of the World Bank (WB)-assisted Gujarat Emergency Earthquake Rehabilitation Programme (GEERP).

The GEERP programme, which aims at rebuilding the Kutch district by October 2005, is being funded through a WB loan besides funds from the Central government.

A report of the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority said by the quarter ended September 2003, Rs 527.35 crore was spent in Kutch.

In sectors such as housing, education, dam safety and irrigation, public buildings, roads and bridges, capacity building and community organisation, disaster management and project management.

The GEERP programme is structured in two parts with the first phase beginning on March 31, 2002, and ending on March 31 2003. A loan of $257.9 million was received in the first phase, while the second phase the loan amount is $442.8 million. This phase is expected to be completed by October 31, 2005.

Speaking at the occasion of the state government completing a year in office in December, chief minister Narendra Modi said that while the experience worldwide is that it takes about a decade for reconstructing areas hit by massive earthquakes, Gujarat has achieved this in around three years.

"The WB has in fact praised the government's efforts in this direction by giving it an award for the speedy implementation of the project," he said.

The housing component of the expenditure is by the highest, with Rs 441.68 crore being spent on repair and reconstruction of houses in the district.

A majority of the buildings in the four major towns of Bhuj, Anjar, Rapar and Bhachau of Kutch district were reduced to rubble in the January 26, 2001, earthquake.

The GSDMA report says that while 48,802 houses have been repaired and strengthened, 1,41,933 houses have been reconstructed. The total costs involved in housing so far is Rs 441.68 crore.

The second largest component where money has been spent in rebuilding Kutch is public buildings. Major repairs including retrofitting (scientific strengthening) and consultancy have been completed for 813 buildings and the process is on in another 130 buildings, the report says.

Reconstruction of 49 buildings has been completed, while reconstruction work is on in 494 state government buildings.

In addition, 469 panchayat buildings have been reconstructed, while work is on in another 345 buildings. Retrofitting has been done for 208 public buildings and work is on in another 28. Around 1,810 police housing buildings have been repaired and work is on for another 389.

A sum of Rs 8.47 crore has been spent until September 2003 on construction of primary schools and sheds where students can learn.

Repair of 730 classrooms of municipal schools has been completed and repair work is on for another 453 classrooms.

Six technical institutes are being repaired and retrofitted at present, the report says.

Of the total 94 roads and bridges that had been damaged to varying extent by the earthquake, 76 have either been repaired or reconstructed and work is at present on for the remaining 18 roads and bridges, the report states.

A sum of Rs 21.18 crore has been spent for this purpose so far. Similarly, a soil sample study has been completed for all 222 small, medium and large dams of the district and bids have so far been awarded for reconstruction or retrofitting of eight dams of the district.

Among other expenditures, a sum of Rs 2.39 crore has been spent on disaster management, Rs 1.89 crore has been spent on capacity building and community organisation programmes and Rs 2.97 crore has been spent on project management.