November 26, 2003	Wednesday	Shawwal 1, 1424

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BADIN, Nov 25: At least 100,000 rain and flood victims of Badin district may not be celebrating Eidul Fitr due to non-payment of compensation of their losses.

During the devastation in July, thousands of houses were damaged, crops destroyed, livestock perished and every person was affected.

Three Talukas — Badin, Talhar and Shaheed Fazil Rahu — were declared calamity-hit immediately.

After serious complaints regarding officials’ neglect and laxity by survey teams, which led to misappropriation of funds, it was put in abeyance till the second survey being carried out by an army team.

The flood victims have now lost confidence in the administration and the District Relief Committee regarding being paid compensation. They alleged that the delay meant misappropriation of funds.

The people of the district also alleged that when they held rallies to protest against the inordinate delay in payment of compensation, they were harassed and involved in criminal cases.

Recently an amount of Rs15 million was released by the government for distribution among those victims who were stranded and later taken to camps.

Victims, who were issued cheques of Rs5,000 each for reconstruction of their houses from the Zakat and Ushr funds, were also annoyed by the bank officials who bluntly refused to open their accounts.

A rain victim, Mohammad Moosa, said that though he had been given a cheque for Rs5,000 for reconstruction of his dilapidated house, but he could not use it as the bank staff refused to open an account for him.

On Monday, the rain victims, who wanted to get their cheques cashed held a protest demonstration and observed a sit-in on the Qaid-i-Azam Road against the bank staff regarding its rude behaviour.

Later, several protesters, including Mohammad Malook and Mohammed Siddique, while speaking at a press conference, accused the officials of all banks functioning in the town of refusing to open their accounts on one pretext or another.

They have demanded that the president and prime minister have compensation provided to them as soon as possible.

CRISIS ENDS: The crisis in the district health department came to end when the newly-posted EDO, Health, Dr Suleman Sehto, assumed charge after breaking the lock of the office on Tuesday.

The tussle between Dr Maula Bux Talpur and Dr Sehto for handing over charge of the office of EDO, Health, Badin, was going on for the last 15 days.

The transfer orders of Dr Maula Bux were issued by the adviser to the chief minister, Noman Sehgal, but Mr Talpur was reluctant to handover the charge to Dr Sehto, who was under suspension.

However, the secretary health, Sindh, reinstated Dr Sehto, Medical Superintendent, Kadhan Rural Health Centre, and posted him as the EDO, Health, Badin.