NEW DELHI. Oct 9 : The Indian government will build 30.000 quake-proof houses in western India as part of a massive construction plan for the thousands of victims of last month's killer temblor, officials said Friday, reports AFP.

The announcement coincided with the World Bank's offer to grant 300 million dollars in soft credit to the Maharashtra state administration for its rehabilitation drive in the disaster-hit districts of Latur and Osmandbad.

An estimated 30,000 people died and thousands of others were injured when a pre-dawn earthquake tore though villages and gowns on September 30 in the two southern districts of the coastal state, flattening thousands of homes.

A majority of the houses

which crumbled were made of large rocks and lime. Brick-and mortar modern homes with stood the temblor that measured up to 6.5 on the open-ended Richter Scale.

National television said Indian engineers would devise quake-proof homes and would launch a prefect to construct 30.000 houses on October 24. The project will be completed by January 26. 1994." the network added.

The World Bank said it would give 300 million dollars in soft credit spread over three years to the Maharashtra government to boost its rehabilitation projects for the thousands of homeless people of Os-manabad and Latur.

The World Bank funds are to be used to build quake-resistant homes and help with the

restoration on roads, communication and power links, the supply of drinking water and dams hit by the earthquake, the lending agency satrl In a statement.

“A one-time exception tie-cause of the nature of emergency. the World Bank has agreed for retroactive financing from the day the earthquake struck the town of Khlllari and o,tUEj)reas

This agreement would enable the Maharashtra government to Incur all expenses hereinafter after the credit." the World Bank statement added

The World Bank has also separately sanctioned 1.5 million dollars for the preparation of a feasibility report on the design and implementation of the construction programme in the affected zone, agency officials here said.