LANDI KOTAL: The Fata Secretariat and Fata Disaster Management Authority with the financial assistance of World Bank have started disbursement of cash through bank ATM cards among the recently rehabilitated families of Bara under the Emergency Recovery Programme (ERP).

Under the ERP, every rehabilitated family would be paid Rs16,000 in four instalments over a period of four months, officials told Dawn.

They added that only the families possessing ration cards, issued to them during their time of displacement from Bara, would be illegible to get the amount through National Bank ATM cards.

The officials said that two distribution centres were set up at Dogra hospital and Meelward in Sipah and Akl(akhel areas respectively as the two tribes were selected to get the amount in the first phase of ERP.

A large number of Sipah and Alckakhel residents thronged the two centres during the first two days of the distribution and khasadars along with personnel of Frontier Corps had to resort to baton charge to disperse the unruly crowd as everyone was anxious to get his card first.

The local residents at both the centres complained about lack of proper arrangements and shortage of staff, which caused delay in distribution of the ATM cards.

Gulab Din, an Akkakhel resident, told Dawn that the local administration made no prior announcement nor they informed people about the establishment of cards distribution centres.

He said that local residents spread the news about establishment of the centres. He alleged that hundreds of people were made to wait in long queues in scorching heat for long hours as the limited number of staff could not handle the sudden rush of recipients of the cards.

`Most of the people either returned empty handed late in the evening or were beaten by khasadars and FC personnel when they protested against the undue delay in distribution of cards,` said Gulab Din.

Turab Ali, a social worker from Sipah area, also expressed dissatisfaction over the mode of distribution of cards and said that authorities started distribution of cards in haste without informing the deserving residents of Sipah and Akkakhel.

He said that although majority of the recipients welcomed the introduction of ATM cards yet most of them said that the amount was insufficient to cater to their daily needs.

Eng Saf dar Hussain, head of staf f at Dogra hospital centre, however, said that every card was issued through biometric system after proper verification from National Database and Registration Authority. He said that most of Bara residents were not used to the new system and they were frustrated with the extra time consumed owing to their proper verification.

He said that extra care was taken to issue bank cards to deserving families. He said that the programme would be extended to Malakdinkhel, Shalobar, Qambarkhel, Kamarkhel and other areas of Bara once the first phase was successfully completed in Sipah and Akkakhel.

Mr Hussain said that separate days were specified for every sub-tribe of Sipah and Akkakhel to avoid rush at the two centres but families of other sub-tribes also visited the centres on wrong days which caused mayhem at the time of cards distribution.