Sans support: 28 displaced families in G-B await govt assistance

GBDMA director general claims relief items distributed

GILGIT: At least 28 families displaced by landslides are awaiting government assistance in Yall village, Nagar Valley in Gilgit-Baltistan. The families abandoned their houses a week ago following rains and landslides in the region and are living in tents just outside Yall.

When contacted by The Express Tribune on Tuesday, one of the villagers, Zakir Hussain, said, “There were continuous landslides; moving out of Yall was the only option.” He added, “The families left their homes, belongings and food. Now they are in need of government assistance but nothing has been done yet.”

He pointed out the villagers arranged tents for themselves through a local set-up, the Rakaposhi Development Organisation.

Zakir added, “The number of displaced people in G-B currently stands at 180, including children.” He complained an assistant commissioner visited the village recently but did not return after, leaving displaced families at the mercy of nature.

Echoing Zakir’s concerns, Javed Hussain, another local, added, “People in four valleys of Nagar district are cut off from the rest of the region as roads have been washed away by landslides.”

Parliamentary Secretary on Law Aurangzeb Khan said rains lasted for more than two days. These damaged Karakoram Highway on 200 points from G-B to Kohistan.

G-B Disaster Management Authority Director General Syed Abdul Waheed Shah said relief items including tents, blankets, tarpaulin sheets and food packs have been distributed among people affected by rains.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 13^th, 2016.