GILGIT, Nov 9: Over 700 quake affected people at Gonar Farm, some 150kms south of Gilgit, told a team of journalists who visited the camp on Saturday that they were facing an acute shortage of food, tents, medicine and fuel at the camp.

The army and the civil administration have been delivering relief goods to the displaced persons and to those who are still stranded in Mothath and Raikot valleys through their copters but due to harsh weather adequate supplies could not be made available to them.

Briefing the newsmen, the Northern Areas force commander Maj Gen Nadeem Ahmed said that they had launched “Operation Madadgar” to extend relief and rescue operations in the quake affected areas and within three days they were able to evacuate over 2,000 people from the quake-hit areas. Gen Nadeem said that the army’s role was very limited but they headed the coordinated rescue efforts launched jointly by the civil administration, NGOs and the army.

He said that they had sent their recommendations to conduct a seismic survey in the area before the construction of Basha-Diamer Dam that would have its upstream in this area.

Gen Nadeem said the death toll in the quakes was 11 and not 17 as reported in the press.

He said that the Karakoram Highway would be re-aligned along the right bank of the Indus River to avoid the frequent blockades at Tatupani area. The affected people said that they wanted to have permanent rehabilitation plan because they were unable to settle in their native villages due to constant quake threats.

The displaced people also criticized their elected representatives for their apathy and indifferent attitude towards the quake victims. The intermittent jolts damaged some six houses on Saturday morning in Tatu-Raikot areas and the army helicopters are busy dropping relief goods and evacuating the victims.