Rainwater to be drained out from Larkana within two days: Nasir Shah

KARACHI - Provincial Minister for Local Bodies and Public Health Engineering Departments, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, said on Friday that on the instructions of Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, he was visiting different districts to assess the situation in Sindh after the devastating rains. He said that water had been drained out from many places in Larkana city and the administration had assured that remaining rainwater would be drained out from roads and other places within two days. He said that for relief, 6 to 7 lakh people were staying in the camps in Sindh and many were also present on the roads and other places. Therefore, the Sindh government will provide food and medicines to the victims from the first day for which the relevant deputy commissioners were released the funds, but we had received complaints from many places adding they were trying to provide immediate relief to the victims. He said that at several places, there were cuts and destruction of bunds due to rains and the work was going on to close them. He said that in recent heavy rains, many houses in 23 districts of Sindh had collapsed and many had been badly affected. We are trying to give them some relief as well. In addition to this, 80% of the crops have been destroyed in Sindh and such landlords will also be given something so that they can plant the next crop. Shah said that the federal government had fixed the price of wheat at Rs3000 per 50 kg, but Asif Ali Zardari had asked to set the price per maund at Rs4000 per maund to help people and a subsidy will also be given. He said that Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has assigned the duty of all the ministers, MNAs, MPAs and office bearers besides the Chairman and the Chief Minister are also visiting rain affected areas. He said that due to the rains, 23 districts of Sindh have been declared disaster areas, the revenue taxes have been waived and the federal government will be requested to waive or halve the electricity bills of these areas. The federal secretary of the concerned department is also on a visit to Hyderabad. He said that after the flash flood, the water problem was politicized, which is why Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari held a conference and it got better results that most of the countries also gave aid.