Our Correspondent
Mirpur
The public-sector Mirpur University of Science & Technology’s Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr Habib ur Rehman has constituted two separate committees to assess the loss suffered by the varsity in September 24 terrible earthquake in Mirpur. Both of the committees have started working to compile a comprehensive report for onward submission to the AJK government. Disclosing this, Registrar MUST Prof. Muhammad Waris Jirral told APP here on Sunday that both of the committees, headed by Dean of Engineering Dept. of the varsity Prof. Dr. Anwar Khatab, would evaluate the damages caused by the catastrophe besides to ascertain the basic causes of the catastrophe that reportedly rendered hundreds of thousands of people in scores of villages of Mirpur sub division.
‘The evaluation Committee has submitted its assessment report about damages to the government through the focal person-Commissioner Mirpur Tayyab Ch. for further necessary action’, Waris said. ‘The varsity suffered the material loss to the tune of about Rs 391 million as determined by the two committees also comprising the visiting seismic experts from Peshawar university who visited all academic and administrative blocks of the varsity’s city campus and the secretariat besides other buildings in the jurisdiction of the MUST’, the Registrar said.
He said that the five-member inspection team of seismic experts from the University of Engineering & Technology Peshawar headed by Prof Javed Khan visited the MUST on the invitation of the Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Habib-ur-Rehman for the inspection of the buildings. The team also visited adjoining much-affected Jatallan down, reportedly the epicenter of the Sept. 24 catastrophe.
He said that another team headed by Prof. Dr. Muhammad Masood Rafi, Chairman department of Earthquake Engineering NED University Karachi and member of the USGS research group, also visited MUST recommended to the civil engineering department chairman and Project Director MUST for repair and maintenance of the damaged structure. He said huge amount will be required to put things aligned. The team also visited the site of the epicenter in outskirt of Mirpur city accompanying the MUST officials including the Registrar and other concerned seasoned academicians to reap the purpose.