ISLAMABAD:Federal Minister for Science, Technology and Central Information Secretary, Balochistan National Party (BNP) Agha Hassan Baloch Tuesday criticized the Punjab government for not providing prompt relief to the flood hit areas of Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Isakhel and Taunsa.
Expressing serious concerns over the incompetence of Punjab government, the federal minister said that the local administration, bureaucrats and politicians were nowhere to be seen.
Around 300,000 people have been affected in Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur alone due to the floods.
The federal minister said that the Punjab government had no emergency plan while the flood hit people were waiting for food and medicines under the open skies.
In a meeting with the BNP leader Zulfikar Mulghani, Agha Hassan Baloch said that Director General PDMA Punjab was busy in meetings in Lahore.
Hundreds of precious lives have been lost due to the slow relief operation while the Chief Minister of Punjab is busy forming the Cabinet Committee on Disaster Management today, he said.
Federal Minister Agha Hassan Baloch said that more rains were predicted in Koh-i-Sulaiman from tomorrow, which would cause more floods in the rivers as well as physical and financial losses.
He said that in Taunsa, people came out on the streets and protested against the government’s behavior but the authorities were not paying any heed to the helplessness of the people.
The federal minister requested the federal government, provincial institutions especially PDMA, Rescue 1122 and health department to speed up the relief operation for the people of the flood-hit areas, ensure the supply of funds, medicines and food to the affected people.
The federal minister further said that the federal and provincial governments should start conducting a survey on the losses of the people and provide compensation.