ISLAMABAD, Oct 12: Relief goods worth billions of rupees are lying with different organizations and in various camps, awaiting transportation to the quake-hit areas of Azad Kashmir and Hazara division.
It has been learnt that relief goods, including daily-use commodities, have been stocked up in various camps, but due to shortage of transport, these cannot be dispatched to the affected areas.
“There is no more need to ask people to donate goods or cash because we have no space to stock more items,” Majid Kamal, an organizer of a relief camp at Jinnah Super, said.
“We are running here and there in search of a wagon or truck to transport goods to the affected areas. But either there is no transport or the truck drivers refuse to go there,” he said.
Keeping in view the demand of the transport, the truck drivers have increased the fares for Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Balakot, Rawlakot and other quake-hit areas. They are now demanding Rs15,000 to carry the goods to Muzaffarabad compared to the previous fare of Rs7,000 to Rs8,000. It is feared that a large quantity of food items can get spoiled if it continues to rain for just one day.
“Tons of sugar, lying in the open, was spoiled in the rain, and if the relief packages were not delivered immediately they would not be of any use to the people,” another relief worker said.
When a truck driver was asked why the drivers were overcharging volunteers and not transporting relief goods, he said most of the drivers belonged to Kashmir and Hazara division and they were not available as they had left for their devastated localities.
“I think no driver would refuse to book his truck for carrying goods to the affected areas because we are equally grieved over the tragic incident, but unfortunately there are not enough drivers available,” he said.
Another transporter said the transport association had offered their vehicles to all relief organizations on the condition that drivers would be provided by the organizers of the camps.
“It is wrong to say that transport is short because there is only shortage of drivers,” he added.
A volunteer of a relief foundation, who had just visited the quake-hit areas of Balakot, Rawlakot and Ghari Habibullah, said the situation in these areas had worsened to such an extent that the needy people were looting trucks carrying relief goods.
He said most of the people there had not had a piece of bread for the last three days. They need food more than tents and blankets. There is no arrangement to cook meal and no source of fuel, he added.