KARACHI: The city administration finalised a list of the loss of property caused by the May 22 plane crash in the Jinnah Garden area of Model Colony, finding 18 houses partially damaged and two completely damaged as the federal government on Tuesday vowed to bear all financial burden of the compensation to the affected families.

A committee formed by Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani completed its survey and finally came up with a report that suggested that two houses measuring120 square yards each were completely damaged while structures of 18 other houses was partially damaged in the incident.

“The street which bore the brunt of the crash has total 20 houses,” said a source citing details of the report. “In the 20 houses, two are completely damaged and razed to the ground. They need reconstruction. Other 18 houses were damaged as well. In most of the cases, upper parts of the houses were damaged where their concrete structure was hit by the crashed plane. Fortunately, their structures mostly remained intact.”

In other losses, he said, total 10 cars and 14 motorbikes were also hit by the plane’s burning wreckage and all of them got almost completely destroyed.

These vehicles were parked in the street or inside the houses, he said, adding a team also took their details into account while compiling the report.

The federal government will provide compensation to the affected residents of Model Colony

Centre to pay compensation

Meanwhile, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail announced that Prime Minister Imran Khan had clearly directed the authorities to pay compensation to each affected family in Model Colony.

“There is a clear directive from the prime minister that every house or family which has lost its property or anything due to this incident would be compensated from the federal government,” he told reporters.

“Anyone who has lost his car, motorbike or house would get the proper compensation on fast track. The PM has asked the Civil Aviation, PIA and all other relevant institutions to do their job properly and fast. Everyone has worked tirelessly so the wounds of these families can be healed.”

Sindh govt assures support to residents

Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah and provincial government spokesperson Barrister Murtaza Wahab offered condolences to the families of the martyrs of the plane crash and those who died of the coronavirus on Eid.

They visited the bereaved families and spent some time with them. Mr Shah said that the Sindh government was with them in this hour of grief.

They also visited three domestic workers, who suffered burn wounds while sitting in a street in Model Colony where the PIA plane crashed, at the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi and gave them Rs100,000 each on behalf of the Sindh government.

The two leaders also visited other injured people and assured them of full cooperation from the Sindh government.

Minister Shah said that the Sindh government was paying for the treatment of all the injured.

He said that the bodies of all the martyrs would be handed over to their heirs after the DNA test.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2020