BAHAWALPUR, Oct 18: The blanket collection target has been increased from 0.8 million to 1.5 million. This was said by Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool while talking to the press here on Tuesday.

The governor asked District Nazim Tariq Cheema and DCO Muhammad Ashraf to collect donations of complete beddings, match boxes, candles, stoves without oil for the quake victims.

He asked them to transport ration to Rawalpindi from where the Punjab government would hand over consignments to army officials for onward distribution among the affected people.

The governor informed the district government officials that the blanket collection drive would continue for the current week and new targets would be given to them next week.

He announced a target of 25,000 complete beddings for the Bahawalpur district, saying that it was a test case for the new district government.

Earlier, the DCO told the governor that 85 truckloads of relief goods had so far been dispatched from Bahawalpur to army officials in Muzaffarabad. He said the local administration was sending eight to nine trucks daily to Azad Kashmir.

The governor was informed by the district administration that 16 trucks containing about 4,000 beddings were being sent to Rawalpindi on Tuesday. A large number of people presented donations to the governor at S.D.High School.

Mr Maqbool also visited Quaid-i-Azam Medical College and the BVH relief camp where he was briefed about the availability of medicines, blood and other relief articles.

ACCIDENT: A former director education was killed and his son sustained injuries in an accident here on Tuesday on College Road.