Flood damage assessment survey from 12th, meeting told

LAHORE:The Punjab government has decided to start a damage assessment survey in the flood-affected areas from September 12.

The rehabilitation phase will begin after the survey is completed on September 27. These decisions were taken in the fourth meeting of the ministerial committee on disaster management constituted by the chief minister to review the relief activities in the flood-affected areas held at the Civil Secretariat with Provincial Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Cooperatives and Environment Muhammad Basharat Raja in chair.

Finance Minister Mohsin Khan Laghari, Agriculture Minister Syed Hussain Jahanian Gardezi and Revenue Minister Nawabzada Mansoor Ahmed Khan also attended. Special Assistant to Chief Minister Senator Dr Sania Nishtar participated through a video link.

Senior Member Board of Revenue (SMBR) Zahid Akhtar Zaman, while briefing the meeting suggested that the population along flood range should be permanently relocated to safer places by constructing houses with the government’s help.

He told the meeting that welfare organisations had also offered to build houses for the affected people. “Teams have been formed for the survey starting from next week. As soon as the survey is completed, distribution of relief funds and construction of houses will be started”, briefed the Senior Member Board of Revenue.

Ministerial Committee Chairman Muhammad Basharat Raja said that after the relief activities, we are moving towards the rehabilitation phase. “The chief minister wants restoration of flood victims on war footing.

No department should show laxity in assessing the difficulties of the affected people and all departments concerned should give their own road map for rehabilitation”, directed the chair.

He expressed his satisfaction over constituting of a committee under Dr Sania Nishtar for the use of the Chief Minister's Flood Relief Fund. An action plan was also considered during the meeting to deliver the flood funds to the victims in a transparent manner.

Dr Sania Nishtar said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan had issued clear instructions that no stone should remain unturned in helping the flood affected families. Basharat Raja called for a feasibility report on the construction of dams along the hill torrents.

“No unnecessary delay, he warned and said, “People whose houses were not built on their own land will be settled on government lands”. He said that on the instructions of the chief minister, medical teams were also sent from Punjab to Sindh and Balochistan. He directed the district administrations and PDMA to take in the loop assembly members of their respective areas during relief and rehabilitation activities.

The meeting was apprised that the majority of flood affected families had gone back to their native areas. “Pakey ka areas suffered more damages than kachey ka area. The Punjab government is buying 25,000 more tents for the affected families” the briefing said.

Finance Minister Mohsin Laghari said that 60,000 houses were partially damaged in the recent floods in Punjab and tents have been provided to 40,000 of them. “The Punjab government is also approving purchase of additional things worth Rs390 million for the affectees”, said minister. Agriculture Minister Syed Hussain Jahanian Gardezi emphasised on early assessment of crop damage and compensation to farmers.