Over 50 flood-hit families of Charsadda still homeless
CHARSADDA, July 23: More than 50 families of flood survivors have complained that they are still homeless despite lapse of one year.
They said that they were still living in a camp where they had taken after the devastating flood last year that killed 51 and displaced thousands in the district.
They said that they were living in miserable condition in the camp near Charsadda Sugar Mills along with hundreds of children. “Our condition exposes the reality of tall claims of the so-called champion of Pakhtun rights and relief organisations,” they said.
These families belong to different flood-affected villages. They were living in rented houses before floods. The post-flood situation forced them to live in the camps as the owners were not ready to rent their houses again.
“The relief process has been wound up since long and the rehabilitation process is also in final stages but we are still living a miserable life. There is nobody to raise a voice for us,” they flood survivors said.
During a visit to the camp, they told this scribe that they were facing plethora of problems. “Our children are suffering frommultiple problems but the government and NGOs have done nothing for them,” they alleged.
They said that most of flood survivors were shifted their houses but they were still living in the camp. They said that their households were destroyed during the floods.
They complained that the government and NGOs had stopped distribution of relief items among them, making their children more vulnerable to hunger and diseases. They said the holly month of Ramazan was near but they were living at the campswithout electricity and food.
“In this land of Allah we have no place to take shelter from sizzling heat and rains,” the inmates of the camp said.
They pleaded to the government and NGOs to save them from death and starvation during Ramazan.
Charsadda DCO, when contacted, said that he had issued orders to officials concerned to gather data about inmates of the camp to arrange food for them and resolve their other problems. He said that despite limited resources the government would help the affected families.
KEYS DISTRIBUTED: The Islamic Relief Pakistan distributed keys of 83 newly-built houses among the flood-affected families in different areas of the district.
The country director of the organisation, Fazlullah, visited the affected areas and directed workers to pace up reconstruction and rehabilitation work. He was told that relief work in two villages was completed. “Work is still underway in six villages,” he was told.
PRICES: The price review committee in a meeting here on Wednesday decided to conduct crackdown against hoarders and profiteers during the holy month of Ramazan.
It decided that violators of official pricelist would be sent to jail.
The meeting was presided over by DCO Ajmal Khan while DDOR Shaukat Ali, DDOR Dr Mohammad Qasim Jadoon, special magistrate Dr Gulzar Khan, EDO health, former nazims, representatives of traders and other members of the committee also attended it.
The meeting decided to seal factories and godowns for selling contaminated beverages. The meeting also expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of TMOs. The meeting also decided to launch operation against encroachers in Charsadda Bazaar and other areas of the district.
The meeting reviewed pricelists of other districts and fixed prices of daily use items after thorough discussions.