ISLAMABAD, Aug 24 (APP):Federal Minister for Planning Development & Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal said that the incumbent government is committed to provide relief assistance to the flood-affected people and directed the relevant stakeholders to expedite the relief assistance to the people particularly to the affected people of Balochistan.
The Minister issued these directions while chairing an emergency meeting to monitor the flood situation in the country particularly in Balochistan which is the most affected province.
The meeting was attended by the Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Chairman National Highway Authority NHA, Members National Assembly from Balochistan and heads of provincial disaster management authorities
During the meeting, the minister was given a detailed briefing about the recent flood situation of flood in the country particularly in Balochistan. The Minister directed NHA to ensure the restoration of highways which were badly affected due to flood so relief arrangements could not be disturbed further. Similarly, the Minister directed Sparco to carry out an aerial inspection to assess the flood situation in Sindh.
It is noted that the federal government had already declared an emergency situation in the flood-affected areas. The provincial governments had also been directed to declare them as calamity-hit areas so that relief and rehabilitation efforts could be expedited
The Minister also directed the concerned stakeholders to ensure the disbursement of cash to the affected people through BISP, Pakistan is facing an unprecedented calamity and despite the limited resources the incumbent government is making all-out efforts to support the flood-affected people and for their rehabilitation, said the Minister, while directing the concerned stakeholders to establish call centers to address the problems of the affected people. Public representatives should be contacted to assess the damage and flood situation, he added.
Later, the Minister held a separate emergency meeting with the Members of0 National Assembly belongs to Balochistan and inquired about the latest flood situation of flood in Balochistan. The Minister said that MNAs from Balcohistan can better highlight the situation which will help the concerned stakeholders to address the issues.
The government stands with the people of Balochistan in this difficult time as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is continuously getting updates over the flood, said the Minister.
Earlier, Professor Iqbal wrote letters to the Chief Ministers of Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Prime Minister AJK and GB asked them to devise a plan for the joint flood relief efforts.