No compromise on quality of tents: Faisal
By Asim Hussain

ISLAMABAD—Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat has said that there will be no compromise on the quality of tents and other relief items being provided to the quake victims in AJK.
He said this during inspection of samples of tents installed in and around the premises of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council Secretariat located in sector F-5/2, Islamabad.
The tents have been displayed by the bidders in response to a tender notice given by the Council Secretariat. Tents of different types and colours have been placed for inspection and examination by the bidders.
These bidders belong to different cities in the country. The minister went round the tents and asked questions about their prices and quality. The minister on the occasion said that the Council Secretariat would prefer tents which were durable and could sustain the effects of the weather and climatic conditions. He said that the government was trying to rush the tents and other relief goods to the quake affected areas before the advent of hard winter weather.
Faisal said that tents in those areas would be sent on priority basis where there was expectation of blocked of road links because of snowing because access through roads to these areas would stop for some months after the snowing. A number of bidders and officers of the Council Secretariat were also present on t he occasion.
The tents were also tested if they had resistance for water. Meanwhile a large number of quake affected people from Azad Kashmir visited the AJK Council Secretariat on Tuesday for collection of tents and quilts.
They included women and children also. Some of them are living in various relief camps or with their relatives in Rawalpindi and Islamabad They were issued the relief goods after necessary verification. Most of male quake affected said that as soon as they were able to stand on their own feet, they would stop receiving relief goods and earn their own livelihoods. It may be mentioned here that most of the people who had shifted from Azad Kashmir to Rawalpindi and Islamabad after the earthquake are now returning to their ancestral areas.
They appreciated the relief efforts being done by the AJK Council Secretariat in Azad Kashmir.
The Council Secretariat also dispatched more tents and quilts to quake affected areas in Azad Kashmir. These items were sent in trucks and smaller vehicles. The AJK Council Secretariat has stepped up its relief efforts under the directive of Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat.