Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak said while he was out of the province, authorities were busy tending to people affected by Friday’s catastrophic rains.
The CM issued this statement while speaking to the media on Sunday at Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) where most of the victims of are being treated.
The death toll from the downpour, lasting an hour-and-a-half, crossed 21, while over 50 others suffered injuries. Rescue 1122 Spokesperson Bilal Faizi told The Express Tribune most of the casualties resulted from collapsing walls and roofs, while uprooted trees also injured some people.
Khattak directed the health department to utilise all available resources and provide people with the best medical treatment.
He also warned senior medical staff of consequences if they failed to improve hospital conditions. The CM complained to LRH CEO Dr Muzafaruddin about the faulty air-conditioning and directed Minister for Health Shahram Tarakai to transfer Director General Health Dr Abdul Waleed.
Dr Muzafaruddin told Khattak the government employees’ unions were interfering with hospital affairs. The CM asked the CEO to provide information on such individuals so action could be taken against them.
While the CM and most of PTI’s provincial leadership was busy with the Azadi march in Islamabad on Friday and Saturday, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Marvi Memon visited LRH on Saturday to inquire after the injured. She accused the PTI government of deserting the people of the province in their hour of need and announced Rs100,000 as compensation for the families of the deceased and Rs50,000 for those injured.
Development in K-P
Speaking about development projects in the city, Khattak said contracts for sewerage and clean water supply schemes would be awarded on September 15.
“The PTI agenda is reform-centric and wants to provide basic amenities to the people,” the CM added.
He claimed a PTI government could provide electricity at Rs2 per unit instead of Rs18 like the incumbent regime at the Centre, which has not been able to bring prices down despite taking huge foreign loans.
Khattak lashed out at the federal and Punjab governments, saying 36 kilometres of railway track had been laid down at a cost of Rs50 billion.
“We will make the same track in our province for Rs10 billion,” he said.
Food distributed to victims
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) distributed food to the rain victims on behalf of the K-P and Punjab governments.
At a ceremony attended by K-P Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Minister for Information Mushtaq Ghani and Minister for Local Government Inayatullah Khan, it was stated that the families had been registered before being handed the food packages.
Ghani said the CM directed him to assess the situation in wake of the recent catastrophe. “We are taking steps to provide more relief and this will remain an ongoing process,” he said. Qaiser added that the rains had broadly affected the power supply across the province as 30 feeders started malfunctioning. “It is shocking that the federal government has not announced relief packages or mega projects for the province,” added the speaker.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 18th,2014.
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FIR against SS in Model Town carnage has been lost in other news- deliberately of course. No one is discussing it in the news paper or television. 21 people murdered by the state is not news worthy after 6 weeks. What a shame. The entire media is busy discussing, IK ate this for breakfast, IK arrived late in dharna, why IK left dharna, arrangments for dharna were not up to the mark, etc etc. no one is discussing the real issues a sto why it got to this stage
i do not understand, the same express news tv channel provides more authentic and neutral news. while the same express tribune articles are ANTI-PTI. Why cant you be neutral ET ? Please proof read every article you post.
Seriously ET? PTI leadership was busy while Marvi Memon visited Peshawar? I am sure you have not heard of Asad Qaisar, the ex-President PTI KP and the current PA Speaker? He was right there immediately after the incident and also Education Minister plus Local Govt Minister. And most importantly, that is not a one man badshahat that CM should be in hospital. He is not a doctor. All we want is strong institutions. We don't want photo shoots of politicians in hospitals. we need specialist doctors and better facilities. And for the record, it was a natural calamity which the CM couldn't prevent. But any news of how many visits our dear Marvi Memon paid to Model Town where some 100 people were shot at on the face by the "model" police of mughal-e-azam?
This provincial government for is the best ever after Fazal e Haq for KP
Those who robbed KP relentlessly now criticize others!
P. Khattak's constituency is in RWP, all his and his leaders' hopes are tied to that sacred place near the Capital. He has no worries about returning back to his voters. So he can dance and enjoy, while people die in a province of which he is the 'chief executive'.
If this was not so, and he were a 'political' leader, he would immediately leave whatever business he was in, and return to the people, just to show them that he cares.
Glad to see that CM KP assured that medical services are provided to the victims. Any news regarding the FIR against Nawaz Sharif and his brother along with their partners in crime for the Model town murders?