Vajpayee to review Gujarat progress

Thousands of people are still homeless

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee is beginning a two-day visit to the earthquake-devastated state of Gujarat to see for himself the progress being made in reconstruction.

Rebuilding work has started, but an estimated 600,000 people are still living in tents.

Many people there feel confused about what help they can get and frustrated that rebuilding work is taking so long.

In many devastated villages, clearance and rebuilding work started just a few weeks ago.

Many international and Indian non-government groups are supplying building materials free of charge and trying to persuade villagers to rebuild using safer, earthquake-proof designs.

In many communities, this is an interim step, a chance to build shelters which are more substantial than tents and can give some protection from the monsoon rains.

Heat danger

But in urban areas, the pace is even slower - four months since the earthquake, many people are still in tents or shelters made of tin sheets which are dangerously hot in the present summer temperatures.

Meanwhile the homeless victims are frustrated by the delay.

Mr Vajpayee will see the rebuilding first hand

"They've got to get on and build houses for us where we can feel safe even if another earthquake comes," said Chetna Mangalgol who lost her husband, their four-year-old daughter and the family home in the earthquake.

But officials say the sheer scale of the disaster means clearing the rubble and rebuilding the cities will take time.

A draft urban development plan has just been published and the next two months are set aside for public consultation.

Work on the ground can only start after that, once a final plan is approved.