PESHAWAR, Feb 13: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani on Sunday complained that the federal government had ignored the suffering of people in the province and appealed to the world community to help the thousands of families marooned in snow-covered areas.

"I talked to the Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz by phone twice and sent a letter to him, requesting urgent release of Rs100 million for the rain-affected people in the province," the chief minister said at a press conference.

"The situation is critical in the hilly areas which received unprecedented rain and snow. About 100 bodies have been retrieved, while many others are lie buried in snow or in the debris of collapsed houses," he said.

He said the torrential rains and heavy snowfall resulting in landslides and avalanches in Swat, Kohistan, Chitral and Hazara had damaged a large number of houses, roads, water supply schemes, gas pipelines and the telecommunication system.

Mr Durrani said the province had yet to receive a response from the centre. He said the federal government should take steps to end the sense of deprivation in the provinces.

"People in the affected areas need assistance, food and money to feed their children and women," he said. He said he would go to Islamabad to discuss relief work and aid in the federal cabinet's meeting to be held on Monday.

The chief minister said the flood-stricken people in Balochistan needed assistance but thousands of victims in the NWFP should not be ignored. He said people of the NWFP should be given rights at par with other provinces.

He said that despite limited resources the NWFP government had released Rs60 million for the rehabilitation of displaced families. He thanked Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim for sending Rs50 million for the affected families of the NWFP.

Mr Durrani said areas like the Galyat, Kalam, Kohistan and Chitral had been cut off from the rest of the country and it was very difficult to carry out relief operation or rescue the stranded people. He said that due to road blockades and landslides rescue teams had yet to penetrate into the snowbound areas.

He said he had directed all the district governments in the province to pay Rs100,000 to the heirs of each victim, Rs30,000 to the seriously wounded and Rs20,000 to those who suffered minor injuries. The province would pay the amount to the district governments later, he said.

He said the health department had been put on high alert to provide treatment to the wounded people. Responding to a question, he said that despite his directives the provincial relief commission had not prepared itself for the emergency.

The chief minister tried in the morning to have an aerial survey of the affected areas in Malakand but his helicopter could not fly to the mountainous areas due to bad weather. However, later the helicopter was allowed to fly.

PPI ADDS: Pak army and police teams on Sunday left for Charona Band Khar, a remote village in Kohistan district, to dig-out bodies of 38 people killed by an avalanche late Saturday.