NWFP to set up tentage village for quake victims
Bureau Report

PESHAWAR—NWFP Senior Minister Siraj ul Haq, on Sunday has said that more than 200,000 houses have been destroyed in the NWFP alone. That means two million people have been rendered homeless, adding that a lot of aid has began pouring in for the quake victims. There is shortage of tents in the market. We are now in a position to provide tents to the affected people in five districts. Relief goods are being air dropped but it has not reached properly to all the affectees. Now local people and NGOs have reached the affected areas and this has organized relief operation to some extent, he said while talking to reporters here on Sunday. The Minister said that after the earthquake, the NWFP Chief Minister Akram Durrani and he visited Mansehra at 12 o’clock and Balakot at 1:00 pm. Most of the officials of district administration were killed in the area. There was total chaos and communication links were cut off. Then we left for Abbottabad and held a meeting there. Officials of all departments were called in at night to make strategy for rescue and treatment of the injured. It has now been decided to erect tent villages for the affectees at Haripur. Meanwhile during a visit to some parts of the quake-hit areas majority of the people complained that the central and provincial governments had paid no attention to them and they are facing host of problems, including shortage of tents and food items.
People of far-flung areas are facing grave problems and are still cut off from the rest of the country. The situation is pathetic. Even the district Nazims have not reached these areas. Reports further add that no army personnel or functionary of civil administration has so far reached Batgram. There is no one to shift the injured ones to hospitals. All link roads have been destroyed. There is shortage of food, medicine and doctors. The people are in a state of shock. In Mansehra districts people are still waiting for government help. Majority of the people have complained about absence of coordination in relief work carried out by the Army.
APP adds: The electricity of quake hit areas would be restored within a week, Member PM relief Committee, State Minister for Water and Power Engineer Amir Muqam said Sunday. In some areas, transformers have completely been destroyed. Eighty percent power in three affected districts of NWPF has already been restored. In Shangla, electricity would be restored by today (Sunday) evening, he added. In NWFP, five districts have badly been affected by quake. About 13000 people died and 0.2 million houses were destroyed by the quake. He appreciated the role of FWO for quickly opening the road links in the affected areas. He advised the people eager to help their marooned brethren to make close coordination with the administration of respective districts to avoid wastage of aid. People living abroad should also contact respective district administration for latest situation, he added.