LAHORE, Aug 19: The Punjab Relief Department, on the directive of the chief minister, has declared 356 villages of seven districts calamity hit. This was announced at a meeting of the Punjab Flood Relief Committee held here on Friday with Relief Commissioner Safdar Javed Syed in the chair.

Punjab relief director-general Irfan Elahi told the meeting that the villages were declared calamity hit in the light of a joint survey report received from seven districts — Layyah, Dera Ghazi Khan, Mianwali, Muzaffargarh, Bhakkar, Rahim Yar Khan and Khanewal.

He said the survey report from five other districts — Rajanpur, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, Multan and Jhang — would be received within a couple of days, after which the villages of these districts would be declared calamity hit and provided relief.

The chief minister, during his visit to the flood-hit districts, had promised that the villages suffering loss of more than 50 per cent would be declared calamity hit and farmers would be exempted from water rate, land revenue and tax on agricultural income besides providing them relief in ZTBL loans.—APP