DERA GHAZI KHAN: With only two days left in October 30, the deadline for Watan Card distribution set by the provincial government, about 20 per cent of affected families in Dera Ghazi Khan have yet to receive their cards.
Sahu, the Dera Ghazi Khan district coordination officer, told The Express Tribune that his officials as well as the National Database Regulatory Authority (NADRA) staff members were working hard to meet the deadline. Meanwhile, those lucky enough to get Watan Card are facing inconvenience owing to empty ATMs in Dera Ghazi Khan. The card holders said that they had to wait in long queues for several hours in order to get cash from their accounts only to find out that the machines have run out of cash.
People who have received first instalment worth Rs20,000 said, while talking to The Express Tribune, that they had spent the amount on resettling in their native villages or paying up for the space they rented in safer areas during the floods. They said that the administration should issue the remaining amount so that they could rebuild their damaged houses before the winter season.
Amanullah, a Watan Card beneficiary, said that he got the card 10 days ago. He said he had three brothers all of whom had families but only he had been lucky enough to receive his card. He said he split up the first instalment of Rs20,000 with his brothers. With most of the amount, he said, they paid the rent of the house they had moved into during the floods. He said that that they were able to rebuild only one wall of their house with the amount that they were left with. He said that he planned to spend the Rs80,000, yet to be paid, by the administration to rebuild his house.
Amanullah said most houses in the region were still submerged in water yet the administration had shifted its focus from the issue. He said that the administration needed to speed up the distribution process as winters were approaching. He added that they needed to finish construction of their house to avoid sleeping in the open.
Amir Ishaq, another Watan Card beneficiary, said that getting the card was the worst experience of his life. He said that he had to bribe the patwari and the naib tehsildar to get the card. “I have lost all my assets. I had to pay to bribes with whatever little bit I had kept for my daughter’s dowry.” Muhammad Ishaq, another beneficiary, said that he received the card four days ago. He said he did not have to face any difficulty in getting the card. He said he’ll use the amount paid in the first instalment to arrange his son’s marriage which he had settled before the floods. He said he’ll re-construct his house with the remaining amount. He said he’ll rent a house until he was done with the reconstruction of house with the money he’ll get in the second instalment.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 28th, 2010.
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