HYDERABAD: District administrations on Sunday held meetings in the wake of cyclone alert issued by Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to take necessary measures for safeguarding against cyclone Tauktae, which was feared to strike across coastal areas of Sindh.

Sindh Minister for Culture and Tourism Syed Sardar Ali Shah directed all departments concerned at a meeting of administration officials in Sanghar that they should remain prepared to tackle the situation in case the weather turned inclement.

He said that Sindh government was releasing funds to protect peoples’ lives and asked the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company to ensure availability of additional transformers and take care of faulty lines before the weather took a disastrous turn.

Extraordinary measures taken to cope with any eventuality

The meeting was attended by Sanghar deputy commissioner (DC) Dr Imranul Hassan Khawaja, SSP Dr Farrukh Lanjar, personnel of law enforcement agencies and others.

The minister directed municipal administration to desilt storm water drains and ensure cleanliness of drainage system.

He informed the meeting that administrative measures had been finalised, 20 ambulances were available in the district and medicines were being arranged, 10 fire tenders were ready and 60 dewatering machines were also made available. District control rooms had been set up as well, he said.

The minister later told a press conference that the Sindh government was ready to face the cyclone.

Meanwhile, the chief minister’s focal person for Jamshoro, Ejaz Ahmed Jakhrani, also chaired a meeting in Jamshoro to review cyclone emergency measures. MNA Sikandar Ali Rahupoto, MPAs Malik Asad Sikandar, Gianchand and Hina Dastagir, DC Fariduddin Mustafa, SSP Javed Baloch and others attended the meeting.

BADIN: Deputy Commissioner Agha Shah Nawaz Khan has asked people of the district not to heed rumors that the cyclone has changed its direction and there is no longer any threat from the impending disaster.

He said at a meeting with senior officers of Pakistan Army, Rangers and police at camp office that four union councils along the coast, including Ahmed Rajo, Bhugra Memon, Seerani and Behdmi, could face the major brunt of the cyclone. People in the coastal areas had been asked to shift to relief camps set up by the administration, he said.

He said 19 relief camps had been set up in the district and the district administration had set up a control room with phone numbers: 0297920020 and 0297920013.

Sindh Agriculture Minister Muhammad Ismail Rahu also held a meeting at the DC office and directed the district administration to take necessary measures for the safety of human lives.

MIRPURKHAS: Deputy Commissioner Salamat Memon held a meeting with officers of Pak Army, revenue, health, public health engineering and irrigation departments and asked them to take precautionary steps against the feared cyclone.

Assistant commissioners concerned of Mirpurkhas and Hussin Bux Marri talukas had started getting signboards removed from main buildings.

MITHI: Provincial minister Nawab Taimur Talpur told a meeting at DC office here on Sunday that Sindh government was fully prepared to tackle the feared cyclone.

He said that he had arrived in the desert district to supervise efforts being made by the district administration after an alert was issued by PDMA in the wake of brewing cyclone.

Tharparkar DC Mohammad Nawaz Soho and other officials briefed the minister about the efforts they had made so far. Over 200 relief camps had been set up to shift people in case of an emergency, they said.

MPA Qasim Siraj Soomro, MPA Fakeer Sher Mohammad Bilalani, special assistant to chief minister advocate Veerji Kolhi, SSP Hassan Sardar Niazi and other officials concerned also attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2021