Flood victims to get solarised houses: Bilawal

SUKKUR: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said the Sindh government is striving to equip houses being built for flood-affected people with solar energy systems, while also working on projects to ensure proper sanitation facilities.

Bilawal visited the newly constructed and under-construction houses for flood-affected families in the village of Rahooja, Taluka Ratodero, where he distributed ownership certificates to the beneficiaries. PPP Women Wing Central President Faryal Talpur and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah accompanied him.

Addressing the beneficiaries, the PPP chief said the provincial government’s decision to transfer ownership rights of the houses being built for 2.1 million families affected by the 2022 floods in the name of women is inspired by the vision of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, who firmly believed in women’s economic empowerment. He added that these newly constructed houses are not merely shelters but valuable assets that will strengthen financial security of women who own them.

Bilawal congratulated the women who received ownership rights of their new homes, along with their families, and extended his best wishes. He said with the construction of these houses, the Sindh government and he had fulfilled the promise to the people.

Speaking to the women homeowners, he said: “These are not just houses but valuable assets whose worth will continue to increase over time. Safeguard them as your own--no one can ever take these homes away from you.”

Bilawal said the PPP is carrying forward the vision of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, who had pledged to provide the people with Roti, Kapra Aur Makan (bread, clothing, and shelter). He said, in her memory, the ownership rights of the newly built homes are being granted in the names of women, so that they may achieve greater economic strength and empowerment.

The PPP chairman also praised the commitment and efforts of the Sindh government in undertaking the ambitious project of constructing 2.1 million houses for flood-affected families. During his visit, Bilawal interacted warmly with the residents of Rahuja village, discussing the construction of their homes, their economic conditions, and the education of their children.

He was also given a detailed briefing by representatives of the Sindh People’s Housing for Flood Affectees (SPHF) and the Sindh Rural Support Organisation (SRSO). It was informed that out of 122,000 houses planned in Larkana district, construction on 90,000 has already commenced. The briefing further highlighted that, based on the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) survey, the Sindh government has distributed thousands of solar kits—comprising bulbs, fans, inverters, batteries, and cables—among deserving families, including flood affectees.

A woman who got a free house under SPHF in Rahooja village of Rato Dero, talking to Bilawal, said: “You gave me a house that gave me shelter, now I can leave my children safe and work.”

The PPP chief had an interesting conversation with young students during his visit to the houses being built for the flood-affected people in Rahuja village of Rato Dero. “What do you want to become when you grow up,” Bilawal asked a sixth-grade student Hamza Ali. “I want to become a pilot when I grow up,” he replied. “You know how our pilots shot down Indian warplanes. You become a pilot and shoot down enemy planes,” Bilawal said.

On the occasion, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s Political Secretary and MPA Jameel Ahmed Soomro, along with other assembly members, local government representatives, party office-bearers, and workers, were also present.