KARACHI, July 2: City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal has said that the city government has set up eight relief camps and more than 24 medical camps for the people affected by the rain and thunderstorm.
During his visit to the relief camps on Monday, he claimed that more than 6,000 people had been shifted to these relief camps while the relief activities were being monitored by a senior revenue officer.
He said out of 24 medical camps, 11 were meant for Gadap Town, five for Keamari Town, six for Bin Qasim Town and two for Liaquatabad Town. He observed that storm-water drains could not stand the pressure of water after a torrential rain due to encroachments that obstructed the flow. He said the city government had started demolishing the encroachments raised on these channels along Tipu Sultan Road, in PECHS and Mehmoodabad areas to ensure that the adjoining localities were not inundated.
He said that the Gadap and Bin Qasim towns were being drinking water through tankers free of cost and chlorine tables were also being distributed among the people of the affected areas.
Relief work
DCO Javed Hanif Khan has issued directives to the authorities concerned to continue the relief activities in the rain-hit areas of the city until complete rehabilitation of the affected people.
He was presiding over a meeting which took stock of the situation with reference to relief efforts in the city.
EDO Revenue Saleh Ahmed Farooqui told the meeting that Gadap Town had been divided into three sectors to facilitate the relief work and revenue officials were distributing food and other essential commodities to people at the relief camps.
It was informed that DDO Mushtaq Ahmed and Mehdi Shah were supervising medical facilities being provided to the people of the areas around the Surjani River.
Medical camps in Surjani Town have been set up in collaboration with the Pakistan Rangers while Col. Abrar has been assigned the communication duties. The city government’s health department had also set up medical camps in Machhar Colony, Hassan Nauman Colony, Ali Mohammad Goth, Old Tharo Goth, Abdul Hakim Goth, Jan Mohammad Goth, Las Goth and Manghopir three days back.
Food and other essential commodities are being distributed in Yousuf Goth, Abbas Goth, Tapai Goth, Ali Mohammad Goth, Saiful Mari Goth, etc.
A rescue team of the Pakistan Navy has been kept ready to cope with any eventuality.
PPP camps
The Pakistan People’s Party’s Karachi Division has set up relief camps in different parts of the city for the rain-affected people.
According to a press release, the relief camps have been set up at Dawood Chowrangi, Quaidabad, Steel Town, Ghanchi Market, Mosamiat Office area, Soldier Bazaar, Bilawal Colony, Kharadar, Miran Naka, Khadda Market, Nazimabad No.2, Liaquatabad Dak Khana, Mauripur, Muwachh Goth, Banaras Chowk, Golimar and Keamari.
It said more relief camps would be set up as all district level office-bearers of the party had been directed to join in the relief efforts.
President of the PPP Karachi Division Rashid Rabbani and General-Secretary Rafiq Engineer have, meanwhile, criticised the government for not providing adequate relief goods and assistance to the affected people.
They held the KWSB responsible for the breach in Hub canal and demanded a probe into the incident.
Pasban camps
Pasban Karachi has established relief camps at Nipa Chowrangi, Landhi, Gadap, Lyari and Korangi, according to the President of Pasban Karachi Syed Ashraf Hussain, who was addressing a party meeting at Adamjee Nagar here on Monday.
He said the party was collecting relief goods for the rain-affected people of Sindh and Balochistan, and appealed to philanthropists and other people to take part in the relief operation because, according to him, the government’s aid was insufficient.
JI’s demand
Ameer of Jamaat-i-Islami, Sindh, MNA Asadullah Bhutto distributed relief goods, collected by the Al-Khidmat Trust, among the rain-affected people of UC 6 and 7 of Gulshan-i-Iqbal.
Speaking on the occasion, he asked the government to step down as it had failed to solve the problems being faced by citizens and thus lost their confidence.
He said mismanagement on the part of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement had aggravated the conditions arising out of the thunderstorm and rains in the city.
Younus Barai, Azizuddin Zafar, Syed Qutub Ahmed, Khizr Baqi and Kabeer Ahmed were present on the occasion.—PPI
