LAHORE, Oct 16: Governor Khalid Maqbool launched a five-day campaign to collect blankets and quilts for the quake-hit people by receiving them from a number of Lahore councillors at the Jinnah Hall here on Sunday morning.

He was accompanied by Lahore Nazim-elect Mian Amer Mehmood and senior officials. Some of the councillors also gave money to the governor for the relief of the people.

The governor had announced the campaign on Saturday, asking councillors to collect 200,000 blankets or quilts from people within five days.

He was informed at the Jinnah Hall that the district government was sending another 43 truckloads of relief goods to the affected areas. The goods include 15,000 blankets or quilts collected by the councillors earlier in the day.

He was informed that the district government had already a stock of 20,000 blankets which would also be transported to the affected areas in the evening.

Mian Amer said his team of councillors would meet the target within the stipulated time. The district government had also hired a tent-making factory which had promised to produce 100 tents in a week.

The governor motivated the councillors to fully take part in the campaign so that the quake-affected people could get blankets and quilts to protect themselves against the approaching winter.

He said after the quilts he would ask the district governments to send packets of utensils and stoves to the affected areas as well because these were badly needed there.

“A considerable aid has been sent to the affected areas and we must now send them the things which they lack,” he said.

The governor later visited the site where relief goods were being received from different town centres. He checked trucks carrying bundles of loads, asking the nazim-elect to ensure that worn-out blankets or quilts were not sent to the affected areas.

Mian Amer informed that the district government staff was packing the received items round the clock. The district government had sent 215 truckloads of goods to the affected areas since Oct 11. This included medicines, tents, clothes and blankets.

The governor inquired from some drivers about their experiences during their journey to the affected areas and the conditions there.

A driver said he was a part of an eight-truck convoy which took goods to Bagh on Oct 11. He said they were joined by police in Rawalpindi who took them safely to the areas where even army installations had been damaged.

He said a large number of people too were carrying relief goods to the affected areas but their trucks were looted by Afghans and others not affected by the quake.

Another driver said their convoy was attacked by Afghans on its way to Mansehra, Garhi Habibullah and Balakot. He said the affected people were in a state of shock and they were not snatching the goods.

The governor said conditions in the affected areas had been improved considerably and the government was regulating relief activities.

He said the people’s response to the national tragedy was immense and unprecedented. Now it was the duty of their elected representatives to coordinate the relief efforts. The government would get money from the rich people.

Talking to reporters, the governor said the relief measures had now been organized by the government and its agencies.

President Musharraf was himself providing leadership to the process and organizing it. He was being fully assisted by the civilian government and other agencies.

He said providing relief to the affected areas was a gigantic task but the nation was required to stay calm and rise to the occasion.