MITHI: Four provincial ministers along with local lawmakers on Sunday visited villages in Nagarparkar, Chhachhro and Dahli talukas which were hit by worst lightning during heavy rainfall on Thursday and assured heirs of the 20 victims killed by the bolt from the sky of adequate compensation.

The ministers, Makhddoom Mehbooz Zaman, Syed Sardar Ali Shah, Abdul Bari Pitafi and Faraz Dero and lawmakers Senator Krishna Kumari Kolhi, MPA Qasim Siraj Soomro and MNA Dr Mahesh Kumar Malani condoled with the aggrieved families on the second day of their visit to Thar and assured Tharis that the government would provide them adequate compensation for their losses after they submitted their report to Sindh chief minister.

They said that they had already ordered Thar deputy commissioner and revenue officials to immediately conduct a survey of the losses to standing crops from the natural calamities.

Mr Shah, provincial minister for culture and tourism, and MPA Soomro told journalists in Nagarparkar that they were making concerted efforts for protecting and preserving the hills of Karoonjhar from stone thieves who were illegally extracting granite.

They said that they had assured the area people that stern action would be taken and nobody would be allowed to damage the hills. The Sindh government had already announced a relief package for the affectees of lightning strike and heavy downpour, they said.

Mr Pitafi said that he had directed officials of livestock department to not only collect information on the animals hit by lightning but also begin vaccination of livestock where it was needed.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2019