LAHORE, Oct 10: The Punjab government is dispatching 48 truckloads of relief goods besides 200 policemen for helping local administrations to maintain law and order in the quake-hit areas, says provincial law minister Raja Muhammad Basharat.
Speaking at a press conference along with new chief secretary Salman Siddique here on Monday, he said the first instalment of relief goods would be delivered to the affected people within 24 hours.
The relief goods are packed in boxes containing 10kg flour, 5kg rice, lentils, powdered milk and cooking oil each, 2kg sugar, 3kg gram, biscuits, tea and one blanket.
Rawalakot, Muzaffarabad, Bagh and Mansehra each would receive 10 truckloads of these relief goods followed by one truckload of medicines and another of tents, Raja said.
The Punjab government, he said, had already announced Rs50 million financial aid for the NWFP and AJK governments each, while the Punjab House, Islamabad, had been converted into a relief camp.
He said 535 seriously injured people from the AJK were being given medical aid in Rawalpindi hospitals while two medical and paramedical teams had been dispatched to the affected areas and as many were being kept in reserve.
At least 200 Punjab police personnel had also been sent to Muzaffarabad for helping law enforcing agencies there, he said, adding work was going on to restore communication means in the areas hit by the worst-ever quake.
Gazetted officers in the province would donate their two-day and non-gazetted officers one-day salary for the quake victims, he said.
The chief minister, who is in London for his treatment, was monitoring the situation and issuing day to day instructions to help quake victims, Raja said.
About the casualties in the province, the law minister said that Rs100,000 were being paid to heirs of each dead and Rs50,000 to each injured, while Rs20,000 were being paid for each damaged house.
Mr Siddique said that all DCOs had been directed to collect donations from philanthropists of their respected area for the victims.
He said the quake-hit region had been divided into four sectors — Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, Balakot and Mansehra — for effective relief work.