ISLAMABAD, Oct 22: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has asked ministers to use land routes for travelling to quake-affected areas and spare helicopters engaged in the relief operation.

He made the appeal while presiding over a meeting of the cabinet committee on earthquake relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation here on Saturday.

Later, briefing reporters, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad said the prime minister had asked the ministers to visit the affected areas at least once a week to supervise the relief and rehabilitation operation.

He also advised them to assure the people that the government was doing everything possible for their early rehabilitation.

The committee decided to observe the Eidul Fitr this year with simplicity to show solidarity with the earthquake victims.

The cabinet committee reviewed the rescue and relief operation and expressed satisfaction over enough food available at the base-camps for supply to the far-flung areas.

It directed the minister for textile and the federal relief commissioner to arrange tents for the earthquake victims on war footings as winter is fast approaching.

The committee was informed that so far 65,000 tents had been distributed and 200,000 were required for the victims.

Briefing the committee, Federal Relief Commissioner Maj-Gen Farooq Ahmad said the situation would improve in near future as tents were being procured from the domestic and foreign markets.

Donor agencies and friendly countries, he said, were also airlifting tents and blankets for the affected people in considerable quantity.

Earlier, Lt-Gen Muhammad Zubair, chairman earthquake reconstruction and rehabilitation authority, briefed the cabinet about the short and long-term strategy to rebuild the earthquake stricken areas by providing safe housing facilities and services to the affected people.

It was decided that the committee would meet regularly to monitor the pace of rehabilitation of the earthquake-hit areas and take immediate measures, if required, to accelerate the pace and ensure transparency in the whole process of reconstruction and rehabilitation.

The committee appreciated the good job undertaken by the Water and Power Development Authority and the ministry of information technology and health by providing utility and medical facilities to the earthquake victims.

The committee also appreciated objective coverage of the CNN and BBC television networks.