Punjab CM reviews relief activities in flood-hit districts

LAHORE/MULTAN: Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has said the government stands with flood affected people in their ordeal. He said a quick recovery of the affected people is their top most priority. They will not leave their brethren in trouble alone, the chief minister said.

The chief minister said this while visiting the flood affected areas in Rajanpur District, where he met with the people affected by flood devastation and shared their moments of pain. He shared the grief of those whose loved ones had died due to the flood. The government has set up medical camps where flood victims are being vaccinated against epidemics, the CM added.

He declared all the flood affected localities disaster-hit areas, announced channelisation of river and mountain paths. He visited Rescue Operation Centre Shahpur, met the flood victims and reviewed the relief activities.

The chief minister reached Shahpur, Rajanpur and gave away financial aid cheques to the families of those who died in the flood. He reached the water rescue post and met with the flood victims. He also met Shaukat Hussain, father of the deceased girl of ??Chak Patiyat and gave a relief cheque of Rs800,000 to Shabana’s father.

The financial assistance of Rs800,000 was given to each family of the deceased. The CM assured them that the government would continue to take all possible measures to help the flood victims.

He also reached the flood-affected village of Chattani in Taunsa Sharif, met with flood victims, consoled them and recited Fateha for the deceased.

Talking to journalists, the chief minister said that the rights of flood victims would not be compromised, damages to crops and houses would be repaired soon. He said that he had reviewed all the flood affected areas of Rajanpur and Dera Ghazi Khan. He said that PDMA and other departments would start immediate work for short-term and long-term planning.

He said in 2004, when the floods came, he planned to channelise the river routes and 2.5 billion was kept for this purpose at that time one US dollar was equal to PKR60, but Shehbaz Sharif came to power and did not do any work. They did not deliver and wasted 15 years, which increased the cost of the project enormously.

He said Shehbaz Sharif only kept talking, and did nothing for the poor. He said that they would serve the flood victims without any political affiliation and win the hearts of the people and the survey process would be made transparent. He said as many MNAs and MPs as there are, they are his colleagues and in the flood-affected areas, they are taking the lead in helping their brethren in distress.

Earlier, Pervaiz Elahi held a briefing in the plane as he left for a visit to the flood-affected areas of South Punjab. He was briefed about the relief activities in the affected areas. He was informed about the relief and medical campuses established in the affected areas. He was informed about the measures to be taken in the relief campus.

He ordered work to start immediately in the affected areas with the allocated Rs20 billion. He said that an investigation would be conducted into the incident of Shadan Lund food centre and wheat under water.

MNA Sardar Nasrullah Dareshak, former minister Sardar Hasnain Bahadur Darishak, Mohammad Hanif Patafi, Saifuddin Khosa, Khawaja Shiraz. Mohsen Leghari, Secretary Livestock, Relief Commissioner Punjab Commissioner DG Khan, RPO Dera Ghazi Khan and officials concerned were also present.