CM Murad reaches Sukkur, meets flood victims

Govt to give Rs1 million to each member of household of those who lost their lives in these floods.




SUKKUR    -   Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah said on Monday that these were testing times for the people of Sindh.


Talking to the media in Sukkur where he had gone to monitor relief and rescue operation be­ing carried out in flood-hit areas of the division, he said the Sindh government would not leave people of the province alone.


“This year situation is worse than what it was in 2010 since the province received record-breaking monsoon rains,” he said, adding, “There is a crisis in Sindh as people of the province are in dire need of support.”


The CM informed that Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif could not visit Sukkur today (Monday) due to bad weather. “We will give Rs1 million to each member of the household of those who lost their lives in these floods,” he announced.


He told media that the provin­cial government was doing all it could to reach out to people liv­ing in remote areas of the prov­ince. “Although, it is not possible to reach each and every remote area; but still we are trying our best,” he claimed.


KHAIRPUR DECLARED CALAMITY-HIT DISTRICT


Later talking to media at Jee­lani House in Khairpur, the chief minister said the Sindh govern­ment had declared the district calamity-hit. “Under this new arrangement, people of the dis­trict will get relief in taxes,” CM Murad said, adding, “We also plan to give other concessions to people of the district. Each af­fected family will get Rs25,000.”


He went on to add that arrang­ing shelter and food for those whose homes had been de­stroyed in these rains was a top priority for the Sindh govern­ment, while draining out rainwa­ter from low-lying areas, streets and roads was the second.


“We are giving millions of ru­pees in cash to each deputy com­missioner so that these could be spent on the relief and rescue operation,” he said, adding the provincial government had as­sured them that they needed not worry about the money be­cause they would be given more if the need arose.


Sindh chief minister disclosed that total 41 people had died in Khairpur district while 51 had lost their lives in Sukkur division due to heavy rains and floods. “Several homes have been de­stroyed. I have ordered each district administration to make exact estimates of the losses suf­fered,” CM Murad informed.


He opined that such phases were part of political life.


Commenting on PTI’s win in a by-election in Karachi on Sunday, he said it was unfortu­nate that people in Pakistan had started voting for those parties which enjoyed shouting abuses at their opponents

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