LAHORE, Nov 24: Punjab PML general-secretary Chaudhry Zaheerud Din Khan has announced a minimum of three volunteers will be selected from each union council to develop a team that will work during disasters, calamities or in case of major accidents.

Speaking at a news conference at the Muslim League House on Thursday, Mr Khan asked PML, Lahore, senior vice-president Sohail Butt to start selection of the volunteers from the city.

Sohail Butt said the Lahore team will be selected within a one month time. He said honest, hardworking and devoted workers would be brought forward for the purpose.

Mr Khan said the team was being built in line with the President’s Volunteer Movement. After Lahore, he said, this exercise would be conducted all over the province under his supervision.

These volunteers would also perform social services within their respective union councils, he added.

Referring to relief work in the quake-affected areas, Mr Khan said the PML and Punjab government worked hand in hand and provided maximum relief goods to the victims. He said the Punjab government sent relief goods worth Rs2 billion, besides 118,000 tents, for the quake-hit areas.

He said the Disaster Relief Management Society set up by Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi would also work in Punjab and other provinces, if required, after the completion of this programme.

He said the quake-hit families were being identified through Nadra, and a donor would pay Rs6,000, on a monthly basis, to each adopted family.

To a question, Mr Khan said there was no forward bloc but “faarigh (useless) bloc”. He said the PML was going to issue notices to those who were creating a rift in the party.

Stating that the opposition had lost the chance of participating in donors’ conference, Mr Khan appealed that it should join the efforts being made at national level for the welfare of quake victims as well as masses.