Nadra to be tasked with survey of losses: Sindh CM

LARKANA: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah said on Saturday that the Nadra would be tasked with carrying out a comprehensive survey of losses and registration of flood affected people in the province.

Talking to journalists at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto after having an aerial view of devastations caused by floods in Kashmore, Jacobabad, Shikarpur and Qambar-Shahdadkot districts, Mr Shah said that the government had carried out temporary registration of displaced people and conveyed the magnitude of losses to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

He said that each displaced family would initially receive Rs20,000 and more would be done for them in future. The Nadra’s registration process would encompass losses of human lives and damage to crops and property, he said.

He said that 19 districts of Sindh were badly affected and admitted to certain lapses in rehabilitation process, which he said would be addressed soon.

He said that the floodwater had played havoc with Sindh and 80,000 cusecs of water was still flowing from the Torhi embankment breach that had already caused widespread destruction.

He said the breach water was heading towards Shahdadkot and government was trying its level best to save the town. Shahdadkot would be saved from the floodwater because it was now spilling into RBOD, he hoped.

He said that according to experts after flowing into RBOD the floodwater would be diverted to Hamal Lake and Manchar Lake. Larkana had no threat of flood from any direction, he said.

About Mir Zafarullah Jamali’s allegations, the chief minister said that he was an old friend and “we reiterate we have not made breaches anywhere. We have tried our level best to save all and diverted all our resources to relief, rescue and rehabilitation”.

He advised flood survivors to people not to rush to already saturated districts and go to Karachi, Hyderabad and other less saturated districts. A free train service and buses had been launched to take them to relief camps, he said.

He said that private transporters had skyrocketed fares taking undue benefit of the displaced people and asked the district administration to take action against them.

He was accompanied by Sindh Law Minister Ayaz Soomro, Jam Saifullah Dharejo, Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto, Jamil Soomro, MPAs Haji Munwar Ali Abbasi, Mujadid Isran and others.

Our Dadu correspondent adds: The chief minister said here on Saturday that the government was trying to protect Qambar-Shahdadkot and Mero Khan towns.

Talking to journalists, he said that if water level dropped in the Indus then Manchhar Lake water would be released into the river and if water level did not recede and Manchhar was filled then it could pose danger to Sehwan.

He said that efforts were being made to protect populated area of Sehwan taluka. Indus Highway would not be closed and it would be protected from floodwater, he said.

He said that floodwater had overtopped at Torhi bund, leading to breaches, which had also washed away Dadu-Moro road. The government gave top priority to protecting lives, he said.

Meanwhile, a crowd of flood affected people surrounded the vehicle of the chief minister during his visit to Larkana-Sehwan flood protective bund and complained about non-provision of relief goods.

Later, he attended a briefing by district administration at DCO office.