QUETTA, Feb 19: The Balochistan government has decided to pay compensation to rain and snowfall victims.

The decision was taken in a special meeting of the cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Jam Mir Mohammad Yousaf here on Wednesday.

“The relatives of every person who died in the recent rains and snowfall would get Rs100,000 and the injured would get Rs50,000 as compensation,” cabinet decided.

The meeting further decided that the provincial concerned department would remain in contact with National Highway Authority and other departments of the federal government working in the province, for taking joint steps to tackle floods.

The cabinet was informed that Quetta, Qila Abdullah, Pishin Chagai and Gwadar were badly affected by the recent rains and snowfall and departments concerned were collecting details of the losses. Food, blankets, tents, medicines and other items were dispatched to the affected area.

Communication and works department has sent machinery and other equipment to the site for the resumption of traffic between Quetta-Chaman, while relief operation was under way.

The chief minister directed the forest and agriculture departments to spray seeds over areas where water had collected owing to rain and snowfall which would help increase forests area.

The meeting was informed that water had started to store up in the recently-constructed 36 dams after receiving 3.5 inch rain in five days. In Shadi Kor dam near Pasni 40,000- acre feet water had stored up, and water was also collecting in Akara Kor dam Gwadar, Band Khushdil Khan Pishin and Hanna Lake, which would also help in increasing the water table. The chief minister, while speaking at the cabinet meeting directed the ministers to visit the rain-affected areas with the Relief Commission to assess the losses. He asked that district Nazims and district officers to send their estimates of destruction to the government.