With a view to rehabilitate quake victims in Jammu and Kashmir [Images] before the onset of winter, the Centre on Friday decided to pay Rs one lakh each to those people whose houses had been damaged in the weekend tragedy.

The government also decided to set in motion construction of Community Centres in quake-hit north Kashmir and Poonch district of Jammu region, official sources said.

This was decided at a high-level meeting attended by Union Urban Development Minister Ghulam [Images] Nabi Azad, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma, Union Urban Development Secretary Anil Baijal and senior officials of CPWD, NBCC and HUDCO, they said.

• Tremors across Borders

As part of this relief measure, Rs 40,000 would be given as first installment towards reconstruction of completely destroyed houses in quake-ravaged Tanghdar, Uri and Poonch and Rs 10,000 would be paid to those whose houses have suffered minor damages.

The Union urban development minister, who has been camping in the valley since last weekend's tremors, asked his ministry officials to adopt a three-pronged strategy with an urgent need to build 20 community shelters in Uri, Tangdhar and Poonch to be constructed by NBCC and HUDCO.

A team of NBCC and HUDCO officials will also be camping in Tangdhar and Uri to give demonstrations on the construction of houses in the earthquake-prone areas.

Azad asked CPWD and other wings of his ministry to extend all possible help in designing houses, which could withstand earthquakes in the future. He also spoke to chief ministers of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi and asked them to despatch as many tents as possible.