Govt has still not done enough for flood survivors: CM adviser

Adviser to CM for relief alleges favouritism in the distribution of compensation.

SUKKUR: Six months after floods ravaged parts of upper Sindh, Haleem Adil Shaikh, the adviser to the chief minister for relief, has once again lashed out at the government’s relief efforts, which he feels have been very feeble.

Shaikh recently accompanied 12 trucks packed with relief goods to rain-affected areas of the province, including Dadu, Qamber-Shahdadkot, Shikarpur, Sukkur and Kashmore. After he had distributed relief packets which contained rice, wheat flour, sugar, tea, matchboxes, pulses, ghee and milk, he addressed the media at the Circuit House in Sukkur on Sunday night.



The torrential rains hit many parts of upper Sindh on September 9, 2012. “Around 280 people, including women and children, were killed in rain-related incidents,” said Shaikh, adding that 300,000 houses were destroyed, while 150,000 houses were damaged.

Admitting government’s failure to reach out to the affected people, he said that out of the 280 families that lost their members, only 141 had been given compensation. He alleged that there had been favouritism in the distribution of compensation as well. I have written to the finance department, asking them to provide compensation to the remaining families, but they have yet to respond.”

Shaikh said that 3.5 million people were affected during torrential rains of 2012, but the government has provided tents and relief goods to only 150,000 of them.

“This is nothing!” he said. “Just recently, around 500 children lost their lives because of the measles outbreak in Sindh, but their families were also not compensated.”

Referring to super flood of 2010 he said, “The international community donated generously for the affected people, but relief they supplied was not properly distributed. Food was left to go stale in government warehouses instead of being distributed to the marooned.”

“These are the people, who vote us to power and therefore utilising all resources for their welfare is our duty. But, despite being in the government, we are powerless,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 26^th, 2013.