F.P. Report
HYDERABAD: Sindh Minister for Information and Focal Person Rain Emergency Sharjeel Inam Memon has said that ABAD Organization and Chamber of Commerce & Industry Hyderabad jointly would do the reconstruction of houses collapsed due to rain/flood in Hyderabad and ABAD would monitor the reconstruction process. He said in this regard, a joint committee would be formed while an account would be opened and politicians would first deposit their donations in it so that with our joint efferts we could provide a roof to our homeless people.
He was talking to media persons at Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI) on Monday. He said that there was a huge burden on the government to deal with such a huge disaster as it had to provide cooked food to millions of affected people daily as well as providing medical facilities.
He said that the Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry had decided to send beds, pillows and sheets to the relief camps today. He said that as the floods were coming, the losses were also increasing and unwillingly decision had to be made to give cut in Manchhar lake due to which 5 UCs and 1,25,000 people were affected.
The provincial minister said that philanthropists and the HCCI had also played an important role in the current rain and flood situation. The Sindh Information Minister while giving the latest details regarding the losses, said that 570 deaths including 190 men, 109 women and 217 children had been reported and these numbers were increasing. He said that 1,04,68,392 people and more than 1.8 million families had been affected by the floods/rains, while 6,66,193 people were residing in the relief camps.
He said that 41439 cattle were killed while crops on 44,26000 acres of land had been destroyed. He said that in these circumstances the government was working beyond its capacity while the entire state machinery including the district, provincial, federal administrations as well as the Pakistan Armed forces were remained engaged in rescue and relief works.
To a question, he said that philanthropists and NGOs who wanted to help the affected people with their own hands should contact the PDMA Control Room Phone Numbers 021-35381810 and 0335-5557362 and control room would inform the Deputy Commissioner and SSP of the concerned district who would guide the philanthropists and NGOs about the location of the affected people and also ensure security during distribution of relief goods because usually most of the time relief goods were given by the philanthropists and NGOs to affected people on sidelines of road while affected people in far-flung areas were remained deprived.
He said that the affected people having cattles were not coming in the relief camps but they were also being provided food on their location. He said ” this is the need of the hour to get united and any nation which get united gets the success”. To a question, he said that Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was in contact with the Prime Minister of Pakistan to get maximum help for affected people adding that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as Foreign Minister appealed to foreign countries for help and countries held assurances had started sending aid.
He said that Pakistan was among Top 10 countries which were affected by global warming and climate change and added that the lifestyle would be changed and crops would have to be cultivated keeping in mind these conditions because in the recent heavy rains, 100% of cotton crops were destroyed. He appealed to the people to help affected people as much as possible. Replying a question, he said that he did not want to comment on Imran Khan and his bad language would be replied later on.
He said that Imran Khan again criticized the institutions adding that he was conspiring thus he should not be allowed to do politics. Deputy Commissioner Hyderabad Fuad Gaffar Soomro, President of Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry Adeel Ahmed Siddiqui, Najamuddin, Ziauddin, Irfan Iqbal and others were also present on this occasion.
