F.P. Report
KARACHI: Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon has said that the Sindh government is currently focusing on the draining of flood water besides ensuring adequate medical facilities to flood hit people in order to overcome the water-borne and infectious diseases in flood-hit areas of the province. The Minister Information said this while addressing a press conference on Wednesday at Sindh Archives Complex.
Special Assistant to CM Sindh on Investment Qasim Naveed Qamar was also present on the occasion. He said that the water inflows in the River Indus at Guddu Barrage has reached at 1,17500 and outflow recorded at 109800 cusecs. The inflow at Sukkur barrage is 1,34400 cusecs and the discharge is recorded at 1,24300 cusecs while at Kotri Barrage inflow is measured at 2,45900 cusecs and the outflow at 2,12200 cusecs.
While talking about the miseries of the recent floods, he informed that 707 people have lost their lives in the devastated floods and rains and 8422 people have been injured in various rain related incidents. He further said that a total of 10,92,4932 population has been affected including 2093451 families , while 7248066 people have been displaced. Provincial Minister said that a total of 17,80,837 houses have been damaged in which 10,61,743 houses partially destroyed and 7,19,094 houses have been completely demolished.
He said that 2,90,197 livestock have been perished and different standing crops on 48,60,259 acres have been destroyed. Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said that Sindh Government’s rescue and relief activities are underway and two times cooked food has been provided on daily basis to the millions of flood-hit people in the province. He said that 2925 relief camps have eastblished for the flood victims where approximately 673353 affectees have been shifted. He informed that 2,75,454 tents, 2,34,323 plastic tarpaulins and 22,49,675 mosquito nets, 23740 sleeping mats have been distributed among the flood victims.
The 15,430 cattle mosquito nets and 7,37,572 liters of drinking water including other essential goods have also been distributed among victims, he added. Mr Memon said that the Sindh government has distributed the ration bags among 6,88,712 flood-hit families. He said that the situation of surging in dengue cases is alarming throughout of Pakistan, keeping this in view, Sindh Government has reserved 44 special wards for the treatment of dengue patients in the different hospitals of the province.
In order to prevent the spread of dengue in the province, the Sindh government and district administrations were carrying out anti-mosquito fumigation in the different parts of the province so that people could be saved from maleria and dengue fever. He said that the Sindh government is taking serious efforts by utlizing all the available resources for dewatering of stagnant floods water and said that when rainwater would be drained out , the land will get dry, resultantly the mosquitoes will also decrease.
He said that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and former President Asif Ali Zardari have strictly directed for carrying out the relief operations until all the flood victims to return their homes back. He told that the Sindh government had successfully rehabilitated the all flood victims during 2010 floods on right bank of river indus and 2011 rains on left bank and added that Sindh government had fulfilled its commitment to the people.
He vowed that the Sindh government will continue to provide all the facilities during current flood situation as well as, until the flood victims to go back to their homes from the relief camps . He also committed that Sindh government will also rebuild the houses for the victims. While responding to a question of a journalist, he said that most of the relief camps for flood-hit people have been established in schools where educational activities are not being carried out, in this regard Sindh Minister Education and literacy has been tasked in the previous cabinet meeting to devise comprehensive policy so as to ensure that there wouldn’t be any injustice metted out to students of those closed schools in annual board examination.
In a response to a question, Sharjeel Inam Memon said that the Sindh and Balochistan province are not included map of Pakistan perceived by Imran Khan . Imran Khan thinks that the provinces in which there is no PTI government are not part of Pakistan. He said that false telethons and false fund-raising campaigns were organized in the name of helping flood victims in order to mislead the innocent people and just for optics. He criticized on PTI leadership and said that the false claims were made by PTI regarding billions of rupees funds raising for flood victims. He added that Imran Khan is saying that he will deposit the collected donations in the account of Chief Minister KPK and Chief Minister Punjab. Mr. Memon questioned “Aren’t the flood hit people of Sindh and Balochistan human?,
Sharjeel Memon said that Imran Khan had always followed anti-Sindh people politics and added that when Imran Khan was in power , he never included even a single of road scheme in federal development programme. Imran Khan never spend a night in Sindh during his 4 years ruli. He vehemently said that Imran Khan’s politics is based on hypocrisy and lies, he does not care about the people and country and he has crossed all limits in his greed for the power.
He said that Imran Khan is playing on the basis of social media and he has no real support and power of common people. Mr Memon added that Imran Khan has crossed all the red lines by talking about institutions and unethical politics and but he is still “untouchable” as no any institution of the country had taken any action against him. He said that Imran Khan has succeeded in all his plans and making the heads of all state institutions controversial.
He further said that Imran Khan had again used vulgar and unethical language during public gathering held at Chakwal. He is coward leader who dared not to call the real names of Mr X and Mr Y . “This person has become a security risk for the institutions and the country”, he added. Sindh Minister appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan and other state institutions to take serious notice of Imran Khan’s actions.He said that in the history of Pakistan, no one from any opposition party ever asked for the appointment of any IG or DG.
He said that no one could demand for the appointment of the state heads on the basis of holding large public gathering or musical concerts. Minister added that there are many religious parties who can hold three times bigger public gathering than PTI, so they could also made such demands merely on the basis of public meetings. Then, what will happen?
In response to a question, Sharjeel Memon said that Pakistan People’s Party is not in favor of any kind of clash, if it happens then PTI will runway as it has no strength to fight like MRD movement, it is only a musical concerts holding party. While replying to a question, he said that government only holds 25 percent stock of the wheat supply while the rest wheat is procured by private sector (mill owners) . He added Sindh government is working to evolve the mechanism to transfer the benefits of the subsidy on wheat to the poor people. He added that it will be targeted subsidy and to be given in targeted areas so that poor and deserving segment of society can avail the flour on subsidies rates.
