Quake town to be moved

PAKISTAN has decided to shift a quake-devastated town to a new location after experts declared any new construction to be dangerous.

Balakot, a scenic town about 120 miles north of the capital Islamabad, had a population of 300,000 before being destroyed by the 7.6-magnitude quake.

Thousands of people died in the debris and many others were left homeless. Yesterday, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said the government, after receiving a report, had decided to move the town. He also said the gigantic task of rebuilding quake-devastated villages, towns and cities will begin on April 7.

The decisions came nearly six months after the October 8 quake toppled buildings in north-west Pakistan, including its portion of Kashmir, killing over 80,000 people and leaving more than three million homeless.