ISLAMABAD: An emergency relief cell was set up at the Prime Minister Secretariat on Sunday to supervise, monitor and coordinate relief and rehabilitation efforts in the rain affected areas of Sindh. The decision in this regard was taken during the first meeting of a high level committee constituted by Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani to supervise relief activities in the rain affected areas of Sindh.
The committee comprises Federal Minister for Religiuos Affairs Syed Khursheed Shah, Leader of the House in Senate Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari, and members of National assembly Qamar Zaman Kaira and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Khushnood Akhtar Lashari, Secretary Information Taimur Azmat and NDMA officers also attended the meeting.
Senior officials of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Cabinet Division briefed the committee about the on-going relief activities in the affected areas of Sindh.The committee will meet on daily bases to review the relief situation.It will take fast track measures for immediate relief to the flood affected people.The meeting was informed that the federal government had so far provided Rs. 2 billion for the relief activities.It was reiterated that the government would not spare any effort to provide relief to the rain hit people of Sindh and all resources would be utilized in this respect.The committee will monitor the flood relief work and will coordinate with provincial government, local administration, elected representatives of the area as well as with donor agencies to expedite the relief activities.
It was informed that the NDMA Chairman was currently visiting Sindh to evaluate the ground situation in the affected areas and monitor relief activities. He will brief the committee on Monday regarding his visit to different affected areas and meeting with the Chief Minister of Sindh and other provincial government representatives and officials.After the briefing of NDMA Chairman, the Committee will visit Sindh to monitor the situation. It will also hold meetings with the Sindh Chief Minister and other officials concerned regarding relief work and required relief.Some 21 districts have been affected by recent rains and floods, which have inundated 4.5 million acres of land, made four million people homeless and claimed 209 lives.The rains have also severely damaged standing crops on more than 1.7 million acres of land. – APP
