Flood damage survey may complete tomorrow

LAHORE:Provincial Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Environment Protection and Cooperatives Muhammad Basharat Raja has expressed his determination that distribution of rehabilitation funds will be started as soon as the damage survey is completed in the flood-affected areas of Punjab.

Presiding over a review meeting at the Civil Secretariat, he directed that the teams involved in the survey should work with a missionary spirit and pay special attention to transparency so that the entitled people get their right, accordingly.

Provincial Finance Minister Mohsin Khan Laghari, Senior Member Board of Revenue (SMBR) Zahid Akhtar Zaman and others attended the meeting. In the meeting, the rehabilitation measures in the flood-affected areas of Punjab were reviewed. The SMBR informed the ministers that the damage assessment survey in the flood-affected areas is expected to be completed by September 17. In this regard, he apprised, the teams are busy in the affected areas. Basharat Raja said that the disaster caused by flood was extraordinary, "so the relief and rehabilitation work must also be completed in an extraordinary manner". He pledged that the flood-affected families would soon have their roof again. Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has ordered to use all possible resources for early rehabilitation, he said. On this occasion, Finance Minister Sardar Mohsin Khan Laghari said that the restoration of infrastructure in flood-affected areas was started. "Repair of canal embankments and roads will be completed on a war footing", he pledged. He assured that adequate resources would be provided for the rehabilitation of the affected families.

Relief goods: DG Sports Punjab Tariq Qureshi dispatched a truck of relief goods for flood affectees of South Punjab at National Hockey Stadium on Wednesday evening. Director Admin Syed Umair Hassan, AC Model Town Sonia Sadaf, Assistant Director Zahoor Ahmed and other officials were also present on the occasion.

Talking on this occasion, Tariq Qureshi said helping flood victims is our national and collective obligation. “The relief goods collected under the auspices of Sports and Youth Affairs Department Punjab will be distributed among deserving people of South Punjab. These relief goods will help a lot in the rehabilitation of flood victims,” he added.

Tariq Qureshi further said that these relief materials including eatables were collected for the flood victims during the live screening of T20 Asia Cup final match on giant screen at National Hockey Stadium. “Philanthropists and other well-off quarters of the society should contribute handsomely in the relief goods camp set up under the arrangement of Youth Affairs Department,” he elaborated.