October 12, 2005	Wednesday	Ramzan 7, 1426

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 11: The lack of transport has become a major problem in supplying relief goods to the quake-hit areas of Azad Kashmir and Hazara division. Talking to Dawn on Tuesday, Abdul Sattar Edhi, the founder of Edhi International Foundation, said enough quantity of relief packages including blankets, tents, mineral water, edible commodities and other essential items had been collected, but there was shortage of transport vehicles to dispatch these items to the remote areas.

He said truck, wagon and other transport drivers were not prepared to accept the fixed rate of fares for Muzaffarabad and other areas and were demanding fares three-fold higher.

However, he said, the Edhi Foundation would give the transporters fares as demanded provided they loaded the goods for the quake-hit areas as soon as possible. Edhi urged private transport owners to come forward and deliver the relief goods to the people.

In Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Rawlakot, Balakot, Mansehra and Ghari Habibiullah, he said, people intensely needed blankets and tents due to cold weather, adding, “We have sufficient number of these items and proper transport facility would solve the problems.”

Our Reporter adds: The Pakistan Red Crescent Society, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross will work jointly in order to further boost the ongoing relief operation for the earthquake victims.

Three committees have been set up which will monitor all the activities in the affected areas.

The decision was taken at a meeting presided over by PRCS Chairman Jahan Dad Khan here on Tuesday.

IFRC regional head Bob Meckrew, who is in Pakistan, will coordinate with all the foreign delegations as well as international donors and movement partners.

The relief committee will be headed by Maj-Gen (retired) Nawaz Chaudhry; media committee by Mian Javed, while Abdul Akmal will lead the finance committee.

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