ABBOTTABAD, Oct 28: Due to slow pace of relief work, survivors have started expressing fears that their children will not be able to cope with the worsening situation in the devastated areas.
The provincial government and local governments have not been able to handle the situation. Even 20 days after the earthquake, there has been no sign of improvement despite claims made by the federal and provincial ministers and officials.
The tent village established in Havelian has not been made functional yet. Other tent villages in Balakot, Battagram, Alai and other areas are still lying uninhabited due to ill-planning by the authorities.
Currently there is not a single tent village in Mansehra.
There is a vast difference in the approach and efficiency of non-governmental organisation teams and the government. While NGO workers move swiftly into disaster-hit areas with relief convoys and provide food and tents after determining the needs of the affected people, the government departments are still engaged in compiling data about quake victims. Long queues are seen at government relief camps and there is no check on who is getting what and how much.
A resident of Battagram, Khushdil Khan, who is taking care of his child at Ayub Medical Complex, said that no one would come to the tent villages because local people like to keep their privacy and do not like to live or even mingle with strangers.
He said that most people who had become homeless are afraid that someone will seize their ancestral homes or occupy their land if they choose to leave. “The best option is to hand over money to the quake victims and allow them to live in tents where their damaged homes are located,” he said.
A man from Balakot who spoke on condition of anonymity said that he had lost at least 12 members of his family and another eight had been hospitalised. “We are asked to submit the NICs of our deceased family members. How can we produce NICs now that our houses are destroyed? We have lost our near and dear ones and now we are told we cannot get relief due to these inhumane procedures,” he said.
He called upon the government to take early action to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of families.
People from Battagram and other affected areas have started moving to other cities after leaving at least one member of their family behind. One police official speaking by telephone from Allai said that hundreds of families were leaving the area and were heading for places where they had relatives or friends.
People said that transporters had raised the fare for the journey to Abbottabad from Rs60 to Rs100. There has also been a four-fold increase in booking charges.
The main bazaar of Allai has not opened yet although light business activities have resumed.
Local people said that instead of spending huge amounts on helicopter rescue, the government should focus on clearing roads and providing buses and wagons so that people could travel with their belongings.
