Donors’ conference on flood relief planned

PM seeks report on inflated electricity bills

ISLAMABAD:

The government on Monday decided to hold a donors’ conference for the rehabilitation of flood-affected areas of the country.

The decision was taken in a meeting of the relevant officials held with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the chair to review the progress of relief and rehabilitation measures in the flood-affected areas.

Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman, Advisor to PM Ahad Cheema, Member Provincial Assembly Punjab Awais Leghari, National Disaster Management Authority Chairman (NDMA) Lt-Gen Akhtar Nawaz and relevant senior officials attended the meeting.

The prime minister said that the international institutions should be briefed about the devastation caused by floods in the country as well as the ongoing relief and rehabilitation efforts by the federal and provincial governments.

He also appealed the philanthropists to generously contribute in the Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund.

The prime minister directed to immediately dispatch 40,000 tents and 100,000 ration packets to the flood affected areas and take measures for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of flood-hit areas.

Also, the prime minister, while taking strict notice of public complaints about inflated electricity bills, directed the authorities concerned to submit an urgent report and recommendations on the matter.

The premier, chairing an urgent meeting to discuss the complaints on the inflated bills, resolved not to sit idle until the public complaints are addressed.

Federal Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir, Special Assistant to PM Ahad Cheema and relevant senior officers attended the meeting.

During the meeting, PM Shehbaz specially asked for the inclusion of representatives of traders in the consultation process, prior to taking any decision with regards to the collection of taxes from shopkeepers through the utility bills.