04 November 2004	Thursday	20 Ramazan 1425

KARACHI, Nov 3: The Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology has embarked upon an ambitious programme to chalk out a line of action for implementation of "Disaster Relief Plan" in collaboration with the Red Crescent Society and the Karachi Building Control Authority.

In this regard, an elaborate presentation was arranged at the university for the Society and KBCA officials. Conducted by Dr Asif Zubair, Director Disaster Relief Plan, Institute of Human Settlement and Environment SSUET, the presentation was attended by Sindh Home Minister Rauf Siddiqi, Senator Saeed Siddiqi, Sindh Chairman Red Crescent Society Maj Gen Bashir Khan; Chief Controller of Buildings Brig A.S. Nasir and others.

Home Minister held out a firm assurance of all cooperation of Sindh government for the ambitious task undertaken by the Sir Syed university.

"Our cooperation will be forthcoming for any plan that will be taken up in the interest of the province and this city," the minister said.

He assured that there will be no interference from any government department while working out strategies for implementation of the Disaster Relief Plan.

While giving assurance on cooperation of legislators in this regard, Senator Saeed Siddiqi suggested that they should also take benefit from the expertise of organizations like Seismic Survey of Pakistan, Sindh Relief Commission, Meteorological Department and Civil Defence.

Maj Gen Bashir Khan said that the Red Crescent Society would work hand in hand with the university for attainment of tangible results.

Brig A.S. Nasir said that the KBCA would contribute its every bit for successful implementation of this plan, as Karachi had always been at risk when it is the question of natural or man- made disasters.

Ms Shamim Kazmi said that the Red Crescent Society had practical solutions to every disaster and it was our social obligation to do whatever we could for this city and the province as a whole. She suggested that this issue should be executed at public-private partnership level for which a great deal of training and awareness would have to be generated among the masses.

Brig Qamarussalam highlighted the important role of non- governmental organizations in creating greater awareness among the people for adopting safety measures against various calamities and disasters.

At the outset, SSUET Chancellor Z.A. Nizami explained the aims and objectives of the presentation and said that in view of growing risks of natural or man-made disasters it had become imperative to come out with an initiative to ensure execution of plan and steer the people into a state of preparedness on all such occasions like earthquakes, cyclones, fire, floods, epidemics, drought etc.

He said that the SSUET had decided to carry out its objective with the coordination of the Red Crescent Society and the Karachi Building Control Authority and without any financial assistance from the government for implementation of the plan. He said that a coordinating meeting would be held after Eid to work out further details.

Earlier in his presentation, Dr Asif Zubair said it was estimated that millions of people had perished and suffered hardships as a result of disasters in the past three decades. He said that things appeared to be worsening, as the natural disasters were becoming more frequent and their effects more severe.

After discussing various facets of the issue, Dr Arif explained the needed legislation and said that the disaster management had to be placed in the context of development challenges, which should be set out in the National Reconstruction Bureau. He also highlighted the recommended strategies to be adopted and action plan in this regard. -APP