KARACHI, Oct 25: Sindh Minister for Planning and Development Shoaib Ahmed Bukhari at a ceremony here on Monday handed over relief cheques to the affectees of July 2003 rains in the city.

MPA Hameeduz Zafar, DCO Mir Hussain Ali and representative of 5-Corps Col Sarwar Abid, were present at the ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister said the provincial government had made an effort to provide some assistance to the rain-affected people.

He pointed out that the government had distributed Rs3.5 million among the heirs of 47 deceased and Rs0.245 million among 50 people who were affected by the rains.

Yet another amount of Rs0.872 million is being distributed among 200 more affectees, he added.

The minister said that during the holy month of Ramazan, cheques would be handed over to some 3,466 affectees at town level. He said he realised the cheques were reaching the affectees with a delay, but the delay was caused due to certain handicaps. The government, he added, wanted to ensure transparency in the process.

He contended that in a city having a population of over 12 million, such a delay in the assessment of losses was unavoidable.

He thanked provincial minister Irfanullah Khan Marwat, MPAs Hameeduz Zafar and Abdul Quddus, Col Sarwar Abid and others for their help in ensuring provision of relief amount to the deserving people. -APP