CHITRAL: Local MPA Syed Sardar Hussain Shah on Wednesday demanded the government’s immediate intervention to protect children in Chitral’s flood-affected areas against polio saying no immunisation campaign can be carried out there due to inaccessibility.

He also complained that the calamity-hit areas in the district had no electric supply due to the destruction of local powerhouse by flooding and therefore, polio vaccines supposed to be kept at certain temperatures were at the risk of being spoiled.

Addressing a news conference here on Wednesday, the MPA said a special anti-polio campaign should be carried out in such areas with the help of the army and police to save thousands of children from contracting the crippling disease.

He said he had got the government land sanctioned for the construction of houses for flood victims and that work on the project would be completed well before the start of winter season.

Syed Sardar said special measures were about to be taken for the restoration of physical infrastructure devastated by the recent flash floods and that the relevant departments and agencies would launch work for the purpose very soon. He said roads to most parts of the valleys had been reopened to vehicular traffic.

The MPA said the World Food Programme was going to initiate a comprehensive food package programme for 16,000 families for a period of three months.

“This programme will resolve the security problem of calamity-hit families,” he said.

Syed Sardar appreciated the Pakistan Army for relief operations in Chitral and said the timely intervention by the military men had helped save lives of hundreds of people.

He appealed to the prime minister to declare Chitral a calamity-hit area and approach the international community to contribute funds for the rebuilding of the district, which has lost more than 80 percent of its infrastructures during the flood.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2015

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