IDPs decry ‘corruption’ in distribution

Flood survivors claim that many of them are not being issued Watan cards.

NAUDERO: Flood survivors claimed that many of them were not being issued Watan cards and that there was no authority to direct their complaints to.

Seventy-year-old Naseeba Khatoon Soomro said she has been staying in Ghari Khuda Bux for the last two months because her village had been flooded. Despite all efforts, she has not been issued her Watan card.

Police teams have been posted here to help people but the survivors, including Mehboob, Abdul Sattar, Ghulam Muhammad and Muhammad Azim, alleged that the policemen demand bribes before offering any aid.

Distribution of cards is slow, especially because the NADRA centre here does not have DSL broadband facilities.

Meanwhile, in Thatta flood survivors protested against delays in Watan card distribution. They staged a sit-in at the National Highway near Makli and blocked traffic for an hour. Protesters said that they have registered with NADRA but the Watan cards have still not been issued to them.

“First they told us to wait a week and now they’re telling us to wait for 10 more days,” said a protester. The demonstration ended after the district administration assured them of timely distribution.

additional reporting by PPI

Published in The Express Tribune, October 10^th, 2010.