HYDERABAD, Nov 8: Peo-ple’s Party Parliamentarians MPA from Thatta Sassui Palijo has criticized what she called callous attitude of the Sindh government and the district administration on the death of 35 people in the Keti Bunder boat accident.

She was speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Tuesday. PPP MPA from Hyderabad Zahid Bhurgari and other local leaders, including Amanullah Siyal and Aftab Khanzada, were present.

She claimed that except for false press statements in newspapers, provincial and district governments had provided no help to the affected families.

She said the announcement of compensation of Rs25,000 each for bereaved families was a cruel joke. She demanded that each family should be paid Rs200,000 as compensation and given 16 acres of land.

Ms Palijo recalled that when seven persons had died in an oceanic storm in Keti Bunder a few months back, the government had adopted a similar attitude and six bodies could not be recovered. After the incident, she said, the PPP had given some suggestions in writing to authorities to take necessary steps for the future but nothing was done because the proposals had been put up by the opposition.

She said if the government had made arrangements for divers in coastal areas and installed a communication network, many lives could have been saved. She refused to acknowledge such an inefficient district government which had failed in performing its duties. She regretted that the Sindh chief minister had not visited the bereaved families.

The PPP leader proposed that a modern communication network should be installed in coastal areas to provide immediate information about such mishaps, medical facilities with ambulance service be made available, permanent rescue teams be posted and an emergency centre should be established.

She pointed out that no oceanic demarcation existed between India and Pakistan and as a result, the Indian navy had intruded into Pakistan waters recently and arrested many fishermen.

She said thousands of people had migrated from the coastal area.

She also demanded that water should be released downstream Kotri on regular basis.