November 6, 2002	Wednesday	Sha’aban 30,1423

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GILGIT, Nov 5: At a time when the homeless victims of earthquake are braving the freezing temperature for the last three days, people in other districts of the Northern Areas are facing acute shortage of fuel and other essential items owing to the blockade of the Karakoram Highway (KKH) at Tatupani, 150kms south of here, since Saturday morning.

The Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) dealers told Dawn on Tuesday that the gas supply to Gilgit, Skardu, Gangche and Ghizer had stopped as their trucks ferrying cylinders had got stuck in Chilas and other areas immediately after the landslides and boulders blocked the highway at various points. “We are waiting for the KKH reopening as the LPG stocks has already been sold within two days after the KKH blockade”, a gas supplier said.

“The crisis has deepened with the onset of winter in the region. Frequent power outages, recurring loadshedding coupled with the fuel-wood shortage have added to the miseries of people”, the consumers said.

The areas like Hunza, Gojal, Baltistan, Ghizer and Nagar are in the grip of severe cold while supply of the fire-wood from Diamer has also been cut off due to the KKH blockade. This had increased pressure on social forests and fruit trees, the residents said.

It was due to the LPG shortage that prices of the fire-wood had also shot up to Rs150 per 40kg as compared to Rs100 per 40kg previously.

The hotel owners said they had to ration their fuel deposits since they were not optimistic about immediate LPG supply through the KKH. “We do not have any alternative fuel arrangements to get through the crisis if the supplies remain suspended for a longer time.”

Some consumers complain that the dealers had allegedly hoarded the LPG and sold it at exorbitant prices.

They appealed to the government to speed up work for reopening the KKH at Chilas or to provide some substitute fuel supply.

FOREIGN AID: The chief executive of Northern Areas, Nisar A. Memon, has said Pakistan was fully capable of handling the situation caused by the earthquake, and there was no need of any foreign aid, adds APP.

“The civil and military authorities are jointly conducting the relief operation, and we don’t feel any need for any outside help,” the minister said while speaking at a press conference here, soon after visiting the quake-hit areas.

“The situation is under control; we have rescued around 1,500 people from the worst-hit areas, and they are being provided with food and shelter,” he said.

He said President Musharraf was taking keen interest in the relief operation and had directed that no effort would be spared for speedy rehabilitation of the affected people.

Nisar Memon, who also holds the office of information minister, expressed satisfaction over the timely response, and the coordinated manner in which the relief operation was being conducted by the cabinet division, the ministry of Kashmir affairs and the force commander, Northern Areas.

He said that according to preliminary estimates, the operation would cost around Rs10 million, and the victims would be paid compensation in a couple of days.

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