Friday, October 21 2005 15:22 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Muzaffarabad (PoK): Letters are arriving again, clear water runs from some taps, barbers are sharpening their razors and shops are reopening their doors. Slowly, the stench of death is clearing from quake-ravaged Muzaffarabad.

Soldiers are now even concerning themselves with controlling traffic in this Kashmiri city as the military lends a hand to the decimated police force.

Although aid workers are still struggling to reach cold and hungry survivors in far-flung villages of the Himalayas, people are trying to return life to normal in Muzaffarabad, the worst-hit city in the October 8 earthquake which killed some 50,000 people.

Electricity has been restored to 90 per cent of normal service, according to local authorities. The water treatment plant is running at 70 per cent and in the few hours it operates each day, covers 70 per cent of the city, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.

Cranes are removing the grim sight of mounds of rubble, and the odour of decomposing bodies is gradually dissipating.

Earlier this week, the central post office reopened. With 30 out of 165 workers back on the job plus reinforcements from elsewhere in Pakistan, the post office is again handing out letters, parcels and money transfers.

"The head postmaster said we should return to work because people are suffering and need to receive money from their loved ones," said 25-year-old employee Faisal Idris. But it's not an easy task, because the post office itself is badly damaged and clearly unsafe.

"When the mailmen go to distribute the letters they only find 20 percent of the intended recipients. Lots of them are dead and others have left town," Idris said.

Telephone call centers have opened up and cellphone operators are restoring service.

Small businesses have returned, and ramshackle shops sell fruits and vegetables and even sweet pastries.

One store-keeper, 38-year-old Khawaja Riaz was able to keep his stocks of rice, sugar, cooking oil and cigarettes intact. He opens for business just a few hours a day, to earn a few rupees but also as a welcome distraction.

"I lost six people in my family. Living in a tent is a pain. Coming here helps me forget about things," he said.

A few barbers have taken up their razors and scissors once again, although poor hygiene remains a concern.

In Mohammed Misken's recently opened barber shop, six customers are in line and, inevitably, the earthquake is on their minds.

"People only talk about this but sometimes we also laugh," said Mohammed Zahir, a 35-year-old worker, who hoped a haircut would make him feel better. "This puts me at ease."

The long waits are also getting shorter at gas stations, which right after the quake had nothing to offer from their pumps.

Ahmed Mustafa, 27, found it difficult to reopen the gas station owned by his father, who died in the earthquake along with 13 other family members who were buried in their home.

"It's tough but we have to forget about it. It's happened to everyone," he said. "It's a great tragedy but 12 days have passed. They're dead and we can't do anything for them. We have to try to focus on the future."