KARACHI: CM raises relief aid to Rs50m for victims
KARACHI, Oct 10: Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Rahim has announced contribution of Rs10 million towards the President’s Relief Fund for Earthquake Victims-2005. He called upon the newly-elected nazims, party cadre and well to do people to play their pivotal role in the ongoing rescue and relief operations launched by the federal government in the quake-hit areas.
Talking to the journalists on Sunday evening at the Chief Minister’s House, Dr Arbab said: “it’s the blessings of Allah Almighty that Sindh remained safe from the devastation of the quake that has played havoc with a major part of the country. We all are under national and moral obligation to pool our resources and energies, and provide relief to our brothers in distress at this critical juncture.”
The chief minister pledged more assistance for the affected areas, and said that the Rs10 million donation was in addition to the amount of Rs40 million he had announced earlier.
He issued directives for setting up of camps to collect relief goods, which would immediately be transported to Islamabad for distribution among needy people.
RELIEF OPERATION: An em-ergency meeting was held on Monday under chairmanship of Chief Secretary Fazlur Rehman to review the relief operation.
It was decided to speed up the relief activities in the quake-hit areas by promoting a joint strategy and cooperation among all the concerned departments and organizations.
Senior Member of the Board of Revenue and Chief Relief Commissioner Anwar Haider told the meeting that five truck-loads of relief goods, including edibles, clothes, tents and blankets, had been sent to the federal capital on Sunday.
He said that a consignment of 10,000 blankets, 1,000 tents, packets of dates and baked gram had been dispatched immediately while seven relief camps had been set up under the provincial and city governments.
The relief camps have been established at Old Commissioner House (Phone: 9206544 - Fax 9205631), Civic Centre, Water Pump Chowrangi, Anarkali Market (F B Area), Hyderi Market (North Nazimabad), Liaquatabad Super Market and Power House (New Karachi).
The meeting was told that relief camps had also been set up at Teen Talwar (Clifton), Banaras Chowk, Landhi, Korangi Crossing and Al-Nisa Hall (Gulshan Chowrangi) in coordination with NGOs.
SINDH GOVT OFFICERS: A spokesman for the Sindh government said that all officers of the provincial government would contribute their one-day salary to the President’s quake relief fund.
He said that a consignment of 10,000 cartons, each containing a blanket, pulses, rice, ghee, sugar, match boxes and dry ration, was being dispatched. He pointed out that a team of doctors and paramedics had already been sent to Islamabad.
Renowned surgeon Dr Adeeb Rizvi, leading a team of doctors and paramedics, along with necessary life-saving drugs and a mobile operation theatre, would be reaching Islamabad on Monday night via frontier areas, the spokesman added.
DUHS: Vice-Chancellor of the Dow University of Health Sciences Masood Hameed announced that university staff would contribute their one-day salary to the relief fund.
Chairing an emergency meeting of the faculty members and students, he announced setting up of several working teams. The teams would be dispatched to the quake-hit areas for rescue work.
Another team of doctors has been assigned the responsibility of purchasing medical and surgical items from DUHS funds as per the requirement.
Medical Superintendent of the Civil Hospital Dr Kaleem Butt also addressed the meeting and pledged full support and assistance to the relief efforts.
Prof Masood Hameed is coordinating the efforts through the Emergency Cell established at Governor’s House and Special Cell set up at Prime Minister’s Secretariat, Islamabad.
MEDICAL TEAM: A joint team of JPMC and Hussaini Blood Bank comprising pathologists and technicians would leave for quake-hit areas on Tuesday morning.
The team would be carrying 200 points of blood, donated by Karachiites at the Hussaini Blood Bank, and relevant items like blood bags and screening kits.
NIAMATULLAH: Former city nazim Niamatullah Khan announced that he was donating Rs1.8 million, the entire amount he had received as salary and allowances as city nazim during his four-year tenure, for the ongoing relief activities in the quake-ravaged areas of the country.
He made the announcement while addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club.
Meanwhile, the Al-Khidmat Welfare Society, Karachi, sent relief goods, including tents, bed-sheets, blankets, medicines, food items, etc., loaded in two containers and dozens of trucks, as well as through a chartered plane.
The consignment would land at an Al-Khidmat camp in Abbotabad from where the goods would be distributed among the affected people.
