A SIGNIFICANT size of the population from all provinces hit hard by floods is waiting for relief and rehabilitation now when the water is receding and is gradually falling into the deep sea.

During the rescue efforts, houses were vacated on flood warnings but nothing exists any more at those places. Many will find rubble but not their homes when they go back.

The government is planning to rehabilitate flood victims but the pace seems to not be in line with the need of the time. The affected population is living in different camps in major cities where the government is extending some basic facilities such as shelter, medical aid and food.

However, the non - provision of adequate facilities and delay in rehabilitation of flood - affected people is causing uneasiness amongst those living in the camps.

Reports of protests in Larkana, Bahawalpur, Multan, Sukkur and Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa areas are not a healthy sign. Cases of forceful occupation of some vacant apartments in Karachi by affected people are again an alarming issue.

Immediate resettlement of the flood - affected in their respective places and their rehabilitation by providing them with relief goods, money, seed and urea will help allay the sense of despair in these people.

FAHIM AKHTARKarachi New taxes

WITH devastating floods confronting the country's fragile economy, where billions are required to provide succour to the affected and repair infrastructure, the government is contemplating fresh taxation measures to help overcome the disaster. On the anvil is reportedly an enhanced tax rate on imports and enhancing the tax rate on the salaried classes. Both these measures, if adopted, would result in galloping inflation on the one hand while bringing miseries to the salaried classes, who are already burdened with heavy taxes.

In fact, this occasion should be harnessed to the fullest by making the provincial governments tax the until now exempted agricultural sector.

With this sector having a weightage of 20 per cent in our GNP, it can bring about a windfall by taxing the feudal lords living regal lives for the past so many years of our chequered history. Secondly, if only the FBR performs its work with honesty, plugging the leakages, our system can yield another fabulous sum. These two efforts, if explored in all sincerity, can in the times to come even enable our government to get rid of both external and internal borrowings. But who will bell the cat is the million - dollar question.

ABDEALI NAFAR

Karachi