‘Relief work in full swing in three Naseerabad districts’

Commissioner says 960 tents, 2,963 ration bags distributed among families affected by recent floods

NASEERABAD: Relief work is going on in full swing in three districts of Naseerabad badly damaged by the recent floods, the deputy commissioner says.

“Nine-hundred and sixty tents and 2,963 ration bags have been distributed among the people while relief camps have also been set up in the three districts,” said Javed Akhtar Mehmood while briefing a meeting held to gauge the devastations caused by the recent flash floods at the Naseerabad Commissioner Office on Sunday.

Balochistan Revenue Board Senior Member Dr Muhammad Shoaib Gola presided over the meeting. Naseerabad Commissioner Mehmood, Deputy Commissioner Zafar Ali M, Sohbatpur Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Younus Sanjrani, Jaffarabad Deputy Commissioner Agha Sher Zaman Khan, Jhal Magsi Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ramzan Palal, Kachhi Deputy Commissioner Sultan Ahmed Bugti and other officers were present.

The commissioner said, “The authorities are also taking action against encroachments in various parts of the division and government property is being retrieved from the clutches of the land grabbers.”

He said the government had retrieved land worth millions of rupees from the encroachers, adding that indiscriminate action was being taken against illegal occupants in all areas.

He said the ushr collection from the residents of Naseerabad had also improved in comparison to last year due to better measures adopted by the government while big landlords were also being registered so that there would be no ambiguity that taxes were not being collected in a fair and transparent manner.

Gola stressed the need for improvement in agriculture tax collection.

He directed the authorities to expedite collection of ushr from areas not affected by floods, ensuring zero negligence.

“The amount generated through tax collection is spent on resolving issues of the public and as such all landlords must pay their taxes on time,” he said, directing the authorities to issue notices to landlords to pay their property taxes.

He also issued orders for retrieval of thousands of acres of government land occupied illegally by the landlords.

He urged the landlords to pay their ushr so that the government could take effective measures for improving the agriculture sector and address the problems of the people. “The amount collected from property tax is spent in the best interest of the people,” he said.