Gang lootings hamper quake relief efforts

MUZAFFARABAD—Gangs of mostly unaffected elements from Azad Kashmir and Northern areas have started looting the relief goods, hampering any safe passage of relief to suffering and dying. These gangs encamp near the roads and interchanges , and stop whatever trucks they can. Looting them and escaping to nearby mountains.
These elements claim that they have also been affected by the quake and also need the relief. As a result the relief is not reaching the affected and the deserved, who are dying as a result of persisting hunger and thirst.
The administration of Azad Kashmir has appealed to the local administration to protect the oncoming relief trucks by the paramilitary units of the army, and advise the trucks to travel in grouped convoys. Saturday’s quake affectees are reaching Mansehra from Kaghan Valley and other areas. Some people are in dire need of treatment, while others are searching for shelter.
They are telling heart-rending tales of their suffering. A medical relief camp has been set up here in Zafar Ground of Mansehra. It consists of more than one hundred tents. Wounded persons who have come from far flung areas are being treated here. They are also being provided with food. They say that many members of their families were killed under the debris of the houses. The Edhi Foundation workers told inp here on Thursday that due to rush of vehicle, relief work has become difficult.
The people are coming here from other parts to Mansehra, they are mostly bringing clothes with them. But those engaged in relief work say that the actual need is of tents. Such machines and equipments are needed as may be used to evacuate the alive of dead persons from the debris. Many dead bodies have started decaying. The road has again been closed. Now you cannot go to Kaghan valley beyond Balakot. At present a person cannot go to Battagram and Kohistan. Philanthropists, different political parties bringing, NGOs and people were individually bringing good in vehicles. As a result the roads have been crowded and it has become difficult to reach the place where relief is needed. Besides, reports of incidents loot and plunder are also coming from many areas.
Edhi men said that their three vehicles were looted. The Army Jawan in Mansehra said they were taking a vehicle loaded with medicines to Battagram because people were looting even medicines. Later they sell these medicines. At several places people looted blankets and started selling them. The maintenance of law and order has also become a major problem. Keeping in view the severe destruction by the earthquake, many international agencies are sending relief goods which are being managed by the United Nations. On contact, UNHCR media incharge Babar Baloch said that the greatest challenge during these four days was the land sliding due to which the relief goods could not reach to the targeted points in Kashmir and the NWFP. All the access points were blocked. When the UN began relief work, a lot many relief goods like shelter material and medicines were available from the concerned agencies but it was not possible to dispatch them to the needy places.
Baloch said that now the circumstances are improving. The roads are being reopened. Our trucks with shelter materials, medicines and food stuffs have left. Some of them have already reached the areas. Earlier these materials were being air lifted. Some helicopters are still busy in the distribution of relief goods. The choppers will continue to operate as well. He said that the rehabilitation work is necessary but it might take more than three months or a year was possible. On the ground assessment is in progress. We shall continue our activity on the basis of the assessment, so obtained.
Assistant Commissioner Masood Zafar has said telephone service has been partially restored in Muzaffarabad and electricity supply will be restored within two days. Talking to this Agency here Thursday, he said that the main reason behind the thin presence of district administration in the city is that majority of staff members have been killed in earthquake, the police stations have been destroyed completely and police personnel in hundreds have died.
“Fifteen members of my own family have died and despite this tragedy I am present at my duty place. The relatives of deputy commissioner Chaudhry Liaqat and SSP Raja Saleem have also been killed”, he added. “We have called out Punjab police and rangers to control the situation”, he told.
Ministry of Water ands Power was informed here Thursday that 20 to 30 % transmission lines of Balakot and Battal grid stations have been erected and electricity restored. It was informed by PESCO that 20 % of complete damaged lines of Balakot grid station and 30 % of Battal grid station have been erected while commissioning of grid is expected withinin two days. 11 KV water supply and state bank feeders of Muzaffarabad grid station had been commissioned at Wednesday Thursday nidnight. However, work on Bagh grid station and Hattian, Noseri and Thakot is still in progress. The Ministry has directed IESCO and PESCO to restore electricity at the earliest with no complaints of short circuit and fault.
Following the directives of the Federal Minister for Water and Power, Liaquat Ali Jatoi, the CEO of IESCO and PESCO will visit AJK on Friday in their respective areas and offer their services for restoration and rehabilitation of distribution system in Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Hajeera and Rawlakot. Both will meet the high ups of the AJK government and their counterpart to start the rehabilitation work. All the arrangements in this regard have been finalized by both IESCO and PESCO. Sources said AJK electricity department has informed that they will take at least three to four months to restore distribution system in AJK.
The Federal Minister has offered to rehabilitate the system through IESCO and PESCO to help them in this time of natural calamity and catastrophe. The CEO of IESCO and PESACO will submit their report on same day for information of the federal government.
The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Thursday confirmed that the causalty toll from last Saturday’s devastating earthquake has risen to 25,188 dead and 53,001 injured. According to the area-wise breakup, 17,638 deaths have been reported from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 7,044 from NWFP, 33 from Islamabad, 11 from Pubjab and two from Northren Areas.
Some 40,772 were reported injured in AJK, 11,325 in NWFP, 89 in Islamabad, 83 in Punjab and two in Northern Areas. In addition to that 452 Army personnel (including 25 family members) died and 730 were injured in last Saturday’s 7.6 magnitude earthquake.
The death toll has mounted to 11531 and 20647 persons were injured after Saturday’s deadly quake struck NWFP, according to the Interior and Tribal Affairs department’s Provincial Crisis Management Centre report, Thursday.
As many as 6641 persons have died and 10926 were injured only in Mansehra district while 3850 have been killed besides 7250 injured in district Batagram.
Likewise in district Shangla, 30 persons have died and 427 injured, 515 died and 1730 injured in Abbottabad while 203 and 161 were injured in mountainous Kohistan after the quake struck the mountainous districts of North West Frontier Province on Oct 8 .
In Swat district at least seven persons have been killed and 69 injured, in Peshawar, three persons were killed and nine injured, in Buner nine died and 20 injured and in Mardan district one person breathed his last and 25 were injured. Similarly in Nowshera and Charsadda districts as many as 12 and 22 persons received critical wounds respectively.—Agencies