KARACHI, Dec 4: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Sunday that there was an urgent need of shelters to protect earthquake survivors from the onslaught of harsh winter.

During a visit to the Jinnah Ground, where the Muttahida Qaumi Movement has set up a workshop to assemble pre-fabricated shelters for people affected by the October 8 quake, the prime minister praised the voluntary effort being made by the organization.

He said that with the spirit and zeal demonstrated by the MQM, Pakistan could surmount any challenge. He also appreciated the role of MQM chief Altaf Hussain in mobilizing relief operation through his organization.

Paying tribute to the people of Karachi and the MQM for helping the victims, Mr Aziz said the government was also doing its utmost to mitigate their sufferings.

He said that as a result of government’s efforts, food and medicines had been adequately provided to people in the affected areas.

The prime minister complimented fire-fighters of Karachi for doing a commendable job in the rescue operation in Islamabad.

MQM’s parliamentary party leader in the National Assembly, Dr Farooq Sattar, said that initially 100 shelters, each costing Rs40,000, were being made. The cost included the structure with the provision of toilet and washroom, one month’s ration for a family and kitchen utensils, as well as transportation charges, he said.

Dr Sattar later told journalists that for every 20 houses, there would be 10 community toilets. The original package would have cost Rs4 million, but the number of shelters had been raised to 140 and the cost would go up, he added.

He said a shelter could be assembled by four people in 20 minutes.

The MQM leadership was planning to send the first consignment of such houses on Monday, he said. He claimed that the houses could withstand any tremor.

About 100 volunteers were working on the project and they could construct 100 houses in a week, he said. He appealed to affluent people to use the facility and order houses for delivery to the affected areas. He told a questioner that at the moment the MQM could provide only 240 houses.

In reply to a question, Dr Sattar said that about Rs40 million had been spent on transportation of volunteers and the MQM had so far disbursed relief goods worth over Rs3 billion.

When asked whether the MQM faced any problems from its rivals, Dr Sattar said that due to special security measures ordered by the president and the prime minister, no untoward incident had taken place.

APP ADDS: The prime minister said the entire nation, from Karachi to Khyber, had shown high spirit in the rescue and relief operation by generously donating in cash and kind and through physical involvement. The quake was a big trial for the nation, he said.