LAYYAH, Aug 6 The local administration has mysteriously kept in store two trucks of the foodstuff sent by Okara and Pakpattan district administrations.

The 'stored' food stuff has still not been distributed when the devastating flood displaced 400,000 people and ravaged 1,200 square kilometers of riverine areas in the district.

This was revealed during a press conference when the media people pointed out the anomaly to Layyah DCO Javed Iqbal on Friday.

The DCO did admit the storage of the food stuff, but justified it by saying that it would be distributed among the flood victims after their shifting to 300 schools the survey of which was being conducted.

However, the media people cornered the DCO by arguing that 400,000 people displaced in the district urgently required food for survival and there was no valid reason for dumping the food stuff by the district administration.

Later, briefing the media about the rescue and relief operation conducted during the last one week, the DCO said that a four kilometer long new embankment was constructed at Kukarwala, at least 72 boats took part in the rescue of stranded people, 23 relief camps were established for shelterless people and food and medication was provided to 8,056 registered flood victims.

The DCO said the Layyah forest division at Chowk Azam and the forest Rakhs at Choubara tehsil were earmarked for the grazing of animals of the flood-hit people.

He claimed that 65,000 animals were provided fodder and 126,000 animals were vaccinated.

The DCO that so far Rs1.2 million out of Rs10 million provided by the Punjab government had been spent for the relief and rescue operation.

CONSTITUTED DPO Chaudhry Muhammad Saleem has said the especially constituted police rescue and relief tasks force comprising 500 policemen and 300 razakars have performed their duties during the last one week in the flood-affected areas while the rescue operation is still in progress.

The DPO said that 12 police check posts had been re-established in reverine areas after the flood water started receding.

He said that six more police check posts had been set up at the exit points of the 62 kilometer long reverine belt to check the movement of the suspected people to protect the valuables of the displaced people of 76 inundated villages of 14 union councils in the district.