MUZAFFARGARH - Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif on Saturday said that the Punjab government had fulfilled its promise and started the payment of Rs25,000 as first instalment of compensation for damages caused to houses by floodwater. He said that the payment of second instalment of compensation would be started from October 20 after a survey of losses done to crops.
Addressing a public gathering at Fasil Stadium during his visit of the distribution centre here, Shahbaz Sharif pledged that all-out efforts would made to ensure payment of compensation to each affected family before Eidul Azha, adding that the process of distribution of second instalment starting from October 20 would be completed within the month of October. The chief minister said that he was personally supervising the process of payment so that no flood victim was deprived of his or her right.
He asserted that the government was providing financial assistance to heads of all flood-hit families without any discrimination.
While complaining about to the media in veiled words for extraordinary coverage of sit-ins, the chief minister said that “did anyone question those sitting in containers why they do not go to flood-hit areas.” Due to sit-ins, he said, energy and other projects worth billions of dollars to be executed with the cooperation of China had been delayed. The Punjab CM said that even an enemy did not do such acts with the country and the nation that had been done by those staging sit-ins. Shahbaz Sharif also appreciated the performance of DCO Hafiz Shaukat Ali and DPO Rai Zamreerul Haq.
The chief minister said that the administration, Pakistan Army, Rescue 1122, elected representatives and institutions concerned had done excellent job during the rescue and relief operation in flood-hit areas. He said that everyone knew who sent “mischievous elements” to our public meetings. He asked Imran Khan to refrain from doing so; otherwise, its result would be nothing but destruction. “We have stopped the PML-N workers; otherwise, they would lose their patience,” he warned.
Commissioner Dera Ghazi Khan Saqib Aziz, DCO Hafiz Shaukat Ali, DPO Rai Zameerul Haq, MPA Syed Aleem Shah, Minister Muhammad Iqbal Channar, MPA Hamad Nawaz Tipu, City Press Club President Dr Khalid Mehmood Zaffar Chaudhry, Chairman Electronic Media Rana Shariz Bashir and other notable were present on the occasion.