Victims fear cadres padding quake losses
Quake survivors suspect officials overstating damage so they can siphon off rebuilding funds
Residents of Lushan county in Sichuan province, the epicentre of Saturday's magnitude 7 earthquake that has claimed at least 196 lives, say they are concerned about corruption after local authorities announced a high figure for economic losses that will be used as the basis for rebuilding plans.
The focus will shift from emergency relief to reconstruction after the province observes a day of public mourning today. It will begin with vehicles sounding their horns at 8.02am, the time the earthquake struck last Saturday. All public entertainment activities will be cancelled.
Direct economic losses in Lushan would amount to about 85.2 billion yuan (HK$106.2 billion), or roughly 34 times the county's economic output last year, the local government estimates.
The figure was widely criticised yesterday, with many saying that officials could not be trusted not to misuse funding meant for reconstruction. Some speculated that local officials had intentionally overestimated the losses in order to receive more compensation from Beijing.
"I don't care how much they will get from their boss, I only care how much I can get," said Song Guoyun , a 56-year-old construction worker who said his house was seriously damaged by the quake. "But because of the corruption, we ordinary people normally don't get much."
I don't care how much they will get from their boss, I only care how much I can get
Currently, Lushan residents are receiving free bottled water, food and 10 yuan a day.