PESHAWAR: Rehabilitation plan in affected areas soon: minister
By Mohammed Riaz
PESHAWAR, Oct 15: The NWFP government has urged volunteers busy in the calamity-hit districts of the Hazara division to strengthen their coordination with government agencies and departments executing the relief and rescue operation in the disaster zone.
Giving his daily news briefing on the latest relief and rescue operations in the quake-hit northeastern districts of Hazara here at the home department on Saturday, Information Minister Asif Iqbal Daudzai lauded the response of the people and their financial and physical contribution towards the relief and rescue activities in the affected villages.
He appealed to the volunteers to hand over relief goods at the government-established camps in Mansehra so that their distribution could be made smoothly and effectively.
The minister said distribution of goods in a mismanaged manner by the volunteers in the disaster zone had created many problems, including law and order situation, in some parts of the affected areas.
Giving the latest tally of the dead and injured, he said so far 13,208 people were reported dead and 22,765 were injured in Hazara division and Shangla district as with each passing day, the death toll was rising.
Till Saturday helicopters had flown 154 sorties for Balakot, Dolai, Alai, Battagram, Paras, Shogran, Kawai, Kaghan, Bunja, Bela Such, Jabbari, Battal, Garhi Habibullah, Patan, Thandiyani, Jambori, Sangar, Dewal, Shinkiari, Dinal, Domel, Jaraid and Kund.
The helicopters dropped goods and brought injured people to field hospitals set up by foreign rescue and relief agencies, he added.
The minister said that displaced people were in great need of waterproof tents or plastic sheets, blankets, sleeping suits and medicines to protect themselves from the winter rains and cold-related diseases.
He said the government was short of waterproof tents. He asked NGOs and relief organizations, involved in collecting clothes and shoes, to collect water bottles, dry-milk, biscuits, candles and matches for people living under the open sky.
Mr Daudzai said that after the first phase of the relief and rescue operation, the government was going to launch a massive rehabilitation programme in the affected areas.
Tent villages would be set up near the devastated settlements in Balakot, Battal, Battagram, Garhi Habibullah, Alai, Jaraid and Shangla, he said, adding that more shipments of waterproof tents would reach the country in few days.
About health facilities, he said that the Islamic Medical Institute had established a 300-bed field hospital in Balakot, Italy had set up a 200-bed field hospital in Mansehra, WHO/Unicef had set up a 100-bed hospital in Battagram and the UAE had set up a 100-bed field hospital in Mansehra.
He said a 50-member Chinese rescue team, a 49-member Japanese rescue team, a 32-member UAE team, a 25-member French rescue team and a 17-member Iranian team were carrying out work in Balakot, Battagram, Garhi Habibullah, Mansehra, Kaghan and other parts of the disaster zone.
The minister said that the 18-km Bagnotat-Namli Mera-Nathiagali, 30-km Thandiyani-Pattan Khord, 26-km Batagaram-Thakot and 66-km Khwazakhela-Alpuri had been opened for all sort of vehicles. The 125-km Mansehra-Balakot-Naran, 29-km Besham-Banna, 29-km Thakot Banna and others had been cleared of landslides, but not yet opened for traffic.
He said a building in Hayatabad was being renovated to house widows, orphans and other people displaced by the earthquake.
