Flood-stricken: Over 100,000 families go without Watan cards

Political interference and disaster control authority's mismanagement blamed for fiasco.


Qaiser Butt December 06, 2010

ISLAMABAD: Over 100,000 flood-stricken families in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have still not been provided with Watan relief cards by the provincial government due to the mismanagement of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), sources said.

The mismanagement on the part of the district officers and political interference by the ruling parties have been cited as the main reasons for such a state of affairs.

An official of the PDMA, who requested to remain anonymous, told The Express Tribune that lack of manpower forced authorities to depend upon district officials, who were forced by politicians to accept the lists of those 282,000 families who were entitled to receive Watan cards. Each card gives the recipient Rs20,000.

The cards have officially been given to 182,000 flood victim families while the rest are waiting for their turn.

The charge has been levelled by the people of Nowshera which had been hit the hardest by floods in the province.

The district officials and politician are also being accused of preparing fake lists of the affectees. This charge has come mainly from “white collar” flood victims.

The provincial chief of the NDMA, Shakil Qadir, had admitted that an unauthentic list of the flood victims was under investigation. He had also admitted that there was political interference in the process of issuing Watan cards but had added that it was the privilege and prerogative of the elected parliamentarians to influence the process.

The absence of PDMA at the district level has been cited as the actual cause of official mismanagement and political interference. The provincial government has so far not been able to establish District Disaster Management Authorities due to the lack of interest. The NDMA law demanded the establishment of DDMA in each district of the province.

Thousands of flood-ravaged people have been left at the mercy of a disinterested provincial government, noted a World donor body official.

The official who is not authorised to speak to the media said, “We don’t know as to who should be blamed for such mismanagement, adding, “what we know is that the majority of the poor are left to fend for themselves”.

Police baton-charged hundreds of flood-affected women and children who had gathered to receive their witan cards in Nowshera district on Saturday.

The protesting flood victims have alleged that they have been denied Watan cards and other relief goods by the authorities.

After being beaten by police, the flood victims staged protest in front of Nowshera Press Club on Saturday. They accused the provincial minister Pervaiz Khattak of favouritism in the distribution of the debit cards. Such protests and demonstrations by the flood victims in almost all the district of K-P have become a routine.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 6th, 2010.

COMMENTS (2)

faraz | 13 years ago | Reply The electronic media never discusses the real issues such as this one. All channels are busy discussing wikileaks
Ahmer Ali | 13 years ago | Reply Assalam-o-Allaikum Warahmatullah.The present situation,about flood-effected people's rehabilitation,of PPPP leaders clearly shows the disability of the present PPPP leaders whereas they are claimers that now all the focus of the government shall be to elevate poor and common man's difficulties and problems but their attitude has been changed as they showed during the general elections' campaign.Instead of curtailing common and poor man's problems and difficulties they are increasing expensiveness on monthly basis,poverty,unemployment and insecurity of the nation on large scale and they are still accusing of Musharraf's government to mishandle earth quake effected people.Don't they see what are they doing with flood effected people,e.g.,we have no money to give flood-effected people,rejecting of Watan Cards, etc etc.Before accusing any one of any guilt they should first remove their own demerits,inabilities,corruption and weaknesses and provide real and true welfare and betterment to the nation then accuse the others of committing any guilt.
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