Flood devastation Kohistan victims protest K-P govt’s ‘discrimination’
Protesters block Karakoram Highway for over three hours near Kumaila Dasu.
DASU:
A year has passed since the super flood wreaked havoc to the already neglected district of Kohistan, but authorities have failed to rehabilitate flood victims and rebuild infrastructure.
As a result, hundreds of villagers belonging to the flood-hit villages of Dobair, Ranolia, Palas, Sazain, Jalkot, Baryar, Kapal Kundiya, Harban and adjoining areas blocked the Karakoram Highway on Sunday, near Kumaila Dasu for over three hours. They were protesting against the ‘indifferent attitude’ of Khyber-Paktunkhwa (K-P) government.
Speaking to the protesters, Tehreek Haquq Hazara’s chairman Ali Asghar Khan alleged that the K-P government had made budget allocations injudiciously, claiming that Hazara division deserved 20 per cent of the total development budget considering its population. He said the Awami National Party (ANP) - led coalition had arbitrarily allocated a meagre share of 6 per cent. “We have strong evidence of the K-P government’s discrimination against Hazara. In the 2010 budget, the allocated amount of Rs4.3 billion for Hazara was slashed to Rs3.5 billion. Other districts however received an additional amount of Rs7.84 billion,” he said, adding that development funds had been converted into rehabilitation grants.
Talking about the fresh allocations for flood victims in the current budget, Asghar said the provincial government had earmarked Rs25 million for Kohistan, Hazara’s worst affected district, whereas it deserved Rs761 million. “This obviously proves that the unspecified amount will be disbursed in areas preferred and chosen by the rulers – purely on political grounds,” he said.
It may be recalled that last year’s monster rains killed 179 villagers, injured 1,650 people, destroyed 2,217 houses and displaced 36,215 people. In August this year, the flash floods again wreaked havoc in Gabryal union council, killing 64 villagers and destroying over 40 houses.
PDMA dismisses allegations
Provincial Disaster Management Authority’s (PDMA) spokesperson Adnan Khan dismissed Ali Asghar Khan’s allegations, saying that last year’s flood victims were supplied with relief items, adding that over 80 per cent of flood victims in Kohistan had been compensated.
He said over 13,000 cases have been processed for the Watan Card scheme and the stricken people have received the first installment of Rs20,000.
He added that disbursement of the second installment will start from September 15.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 13th, 2011.
A year has passed since the super flood wreaked havoc to the already neglected district of Kohistan, but authorities have failed to rehabilitate flood victims and rebuild infrastructure.
As a result, hundreds of villagers belonging to the flood-hit villages of Dobair, Ranolia, Palas, Sazain, Jalkot, Baryar, Kapal Kundiya, Harban and adjoining areas blocked the Karakoram Highway on Sunday, near Kumaila Dasu for over three hours. They were protesting against the ‘indifferent attitude’ of Khyber-Paktunkhwa (K-P) government.
Speaking to the protesters, Tehreek Haquq Hazara’s chairman Ali Asghar Khan alleged that the K-P government had made budget allocations injudiciously, claiming that Hazara division deserved 20 per cent of the total development budget considering its population. He said the Awami National Party (ANP) - led coalition had arbitrarily allocated a meagre share of 6 per cent. “We have strong evidence of the K-P government’s discrimination against Hazara. In the 2010 budget, the allocated amount of Rs4.3 billion for Hazara was slashed to Rs3.5 billion. Other districts however received an additional amount of Rs7.84 billion,” he said, adding that development funds had been converted into rehabilitation grants.
Talking about the fresh allocations for flood victims in the current budget, Asghar said the provincial government had earmarked Rs25 million for Kohistan, Hazara’s worst affected district, whereas it deserved Rs761 million. “This obviously proves that the unspecified amount will be disbursed in areas preferred and chosen by the rulers – purely on political grounds,” he said.
It may be recalled that last year’s monster rains killed 179 villagers, injured 1,650 people, destroyed 2,217 houses and displaced 36,215 people. In August this year, the flash floods again wreaked havoc in Gabryal union council, killing 64 villagers and destroying over 40 houses.
PDMA dismisses allegations
Provincial Disaster Management Authority’s (PDMA) spokesperson Adnan Khan dismissed Ali Asghar Khan’s allegations, saying that last year’s flood victims were supplied with relief items, adding that over 80 per cent of flood victims in Kohistan had been compensated.
He said over 13,000 cases have been processed for the Watan Card scheme and the stricken people have received the first installment of Rs20,000.
He added that disbursement of the second installment will start from September 15.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 13th, 2011.