Funds for flood victims top priority

CM says Rs2.5 billion approved by cabinet and more will be sanctioned, if needed

PESHAWAR:

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief  Minister  Mahmood Khan has said that the provincial  government  is  providing funds on priority basis for the rehabilitation 
of  flood  victims  in  all  districts with the aim to rehabilitate  maximum  people as quickly as possible across the province.

Mahmood Khan said that recently provincial cabinet has approved additional funds of Rs2.5 billion for carrying out relief and rehabilitation activities and if needed more funds would be  provided  to  this  end  as helping the floods victims is  the  top  priority  of  his  government.

Mahmood  Khan  maintained that, the assessment  of  damages  caused by  the recent flash floodsis underway and once it is completed, immediate steps will be taken for the rehabilitation of the damaged infrastructure.

In a statement issued here from Chief Minister’s Secretariat, he said that in the first phase relief items have been provided to flood affectees and in the second phase the provincial government would go all out to rehabilitate them as soon as possible.

The chief minister said  that  emergency  had  been  extended up  to 30th September for carrying out rescue, relief and rehabilitation  activities  in  the floods-hit districts, adding that  he  is  himself  monitoring the entire operation and  is  personally  visiting the affected districts to assess the damages inflicted by the torrential downpour and subsequent flash floods there.

Keeping in view the difficulties of the local residents and  damages  to  property, roads  and  crops,  the  provincial government has increased the aid package in order  to  compensate  their  losses to a greater degree.

Mahmood Khan said that PTI  government  is  representative of its citizens and it stands by them in these difficult times.

We do not believe in publicity stunts. It has become evident  that  some  people had turned this natural catastrophe  into  an  advertising  and  image  building campaign which is playing with the emotions of flood affectees, he added.

The chief  minister  said that  rehabilitation  activities  had  been  initiated in various flood  hit  districts and it would be ensured to repatriate  maximum people in a minimum possible time.  

He  added  that  most  of  the  damages  had  been caused  due  to  illegal constructions  on  river banks and  warned  that  strict  action  will  be  taken against illegal constructions.