Life after floods : Survivors without rations for 2 months
15 injured as police shells protesters.
KARACHI:
A peaceful rally of flood survivors turned bloody after police shelled and baton charged protesters living at Musharraf Colony tent village, injuring 10 women and five men. They were protesting for rations and water.
The camp, which initially had 1,300 tents with each hosting a family of four to five people, now has about 700 tents remaining. Its inhabitants told The Express Tribune that they have not received rations for the last two months. One of the protesters, Ghaffar Mir Jatt, said that even after multiple requests, the people in charge of the camps refused to deliver the government-sponsored rations, after which they decided to organise a rally leading to CM House.
Another protester, Khairun, who was severely beaten by the police and could hardly walk now, said that with an old husband and nine young children she was left with no choice but to join the protest.
The survivors are mostly from the areas of Qamber-Shahdadkot, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Larkana, Sukkur and Naushero Feroze. Jatt said that while the water has receded from these areas, almost all of them are governed and owned by landlords who are demanding huge amounts of money to accommodate them again. “The government should send us to caves instead of sending us back.”
Jatt said that their main demand is to get accommodation in Karachi, which they were promised soon after they arrived here.
Keamari DDO Ghulam Qadir Talpur, who is in charge of the camp, denied the complaints, saying the last bi-monthly supply was delivered on April 28 and the next one is not due till May 15. He said that the daily supply of cooked food has been stopped but the government is providing the rations and water.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 10th, 2011.
A peaceful rally of flood survivors turned bloody after police shelled and baton charged protesters living at Musharraf Colony tent village, injuring 10 women and five men. They were protesting for rations and water.
The camp, which initially had 1,300 tents with each hosting a family of four to five people, now has about 700 tents remaining. Its inhabitants told The Express Tribune that they have not received rations for the last two months. One of the protesters, Ghaffar Mir Jatt, said that even after multiple requests, the people in charge of the camps refused to deliver the government-sponsored rations, after which they decided to organise a rally leading to CM House.
Another protester, Khairun, who was severely beaten by the police and could hardly walk now, said that with an old husband and nine young children she was left with no choice but to join the protest.
The survivors are mostly from the areas of Qamber-Shahdadkot, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Larkana, Sukkur and Naushero Feroze. Jatt said that while the water has receded from these areas, almost all of them are governed and owned by landlords who are demanding huge amounts of money to accommodate them again. “The government should send us to caves instead of sending us back.”
Jatt said that their main demand is to get accommodation in Karachi, which they were promised soon after they arrived here.
Keamari DDO Ghulam Qadir Talpur, who is in charge of the camp, denied the complaints, saying the last bi-monthly supply was delivered on April 28 and the next one is not due till May 15. He said that the daily supply of cooked food has been stopped but the government is providing the rations and water.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 10th, 2011.