August 18, 2008	Monday	Sha'aban 15, 1429

According to officials, basic facilities had been made available in the camp. A group of Peshawar-based elders of Bajaur region, led by Badshahi Gul, visited the relief camp on Sunday and expressed satisfaction over the arrangements made for the affected families.

They, however, requested the district coordination officer, Nowshera to take extra care during registration of displaced persons so as to avoid entry of wrong elements to the camp. The elders informed that they were hosting more than 50,000 affected persons of Bajaur operation, therefore, they demanded of the provincial authorities to set up more relief camps near Peshawar to accommodate migrated people.

The inmates of the camp said that they were satisfied with the arrangements made for them in the camp, saying that they were facing no problem with regard to security and other basic facilities like shelter, drinking water and food. The camp has been provided with medical and clean drinking water facilities while the Edhi Trust was providing cooked food to the affected people.

In order to provide shelter and relief to the displaced persons, the government of NWFP has established 16 relief camps in the province. Out of them, 12 are in Lower Dir, three are in Malakand and one each in Pirpai near Azakhel and Naguman, Charsadda road Peshawar.

The government is providing medical cover as well as relief items like tents, blankets, medicines and food to the IDPs in these camps. Specialist medical teams are being sent from Peshawar to these camps while clean drinking water facility has also been provided. The provincial relief commissioner has released nearly Rs8.5 million to the local administration for emergent relief. The federal government has announced a grant of Rs100 million in shape of initial aid for emergency relief, officials said.

Meanwhile, the chief secretary has directed the health department to immediately send a special team of specialist doctors including a child specialist, a gynecologist, a surgeon and the medical specialist to Lower Dir from Peshawar with supporting staff, medicines and other necessary material.

The team will be in addition to the team of four doctors and one female doctor who are attending to large displaced persons (DPs) influx from Bajaur to Dir. Moreover, it has been directed to constitute teams which should stay in Dir on rotation. An amount of Rs0.5 million has already been provided to the EDO health and MS district headquarters hospital for medicines.