The displaced returning home would be given transportation facility and one month food ration, and the process might continue till December: Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed. — AP

PESHAWAR Special Support Group Chairman Lt-Gen Nadeem Ahmad said on Saturday that only half of the registered displaced families qualify for government relief.

The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) has so far verified 511,000 displaced families registered with the government, but only 268,000 had been found 'genuinely affected' by the conflict in the north-west.

Gen Ahmad told journalists that on the basis of data verified by Nadra, 1,000 cards would be issued on daily basis to the displaced persons.

He said a centrally coordinated and fast system had been put in place to avoid duplication and confusion in the registration process.

According to the chairman, Nadra would issue biometric cards to the affected families to enable them to get Rs25,000 in cash and also to receive relief assistance in future.

Gen Ahmad said the return of IDPs to their homes would start soon, adding that both the army and civil administration were engaged on war footing to restore utility services in the affected areas.

The returnees would be given transportation facility and one month food ration, and the process might continue till December.

He said work on power distribution network in the conflict-hit areas would be completed very soon as Wapda was repairing the grid station and damaged lines at a fast pace.

Gen Ahmad said majority of areas in Buner, Lower Dir and Swat districts had been cleared of militants, adding that insurgents had also been flushed out of parts of Shangla district.

About the situation in Swat, he said the security forces had taken complete control of the district's eastern part while the western side would be secured within a week.

Farmers will be facilitated in transporting fruits and vegetables to the markets very soon, he said, adding that power supply to petrol pumps would also be restored.

Replying to a question, he said Khwazakhela-Bisham-Chakdara-Chitral road had been opened to traffic, and the army's engineering corps had started repairing bridges.

However, reinstalling the police and civil administration in the troubled areas is a major challenge to the government, he added.

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