Drought may claim more human lives: Judge
SALMAN TANVIR
ISLAMABAD
Taking strong notice on the death of two more kids including a seven-year-old baby and lethargic attitude of concerned quarters which had claimed nearly 1,000 precious lives, mostly children and women in drought-hit Tharparkar, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to submit a comprehensive report on the state of affairs immediately. The PM also advised the armed forces to supply food and medicines to the people of affected areas.
Sources privy to the development told this scribe that a relief inspecting judge for Tharparkar, Mian Fayyaz Rabbani, had urged the government to pay attention to the ‘alarming situation’ in this district as the aggravating drought may claim more human lives.
The judge Rabbani noted that thousands of people were starving while relief goods meant for them were being misappropriated on a large scale. He observed that the entire district lacked adequate healthcare facilities.
The judge regretted that he had told the concerned authorities about the misappropriation of relief goods worth millions of rupees besides providing information about the culprits involved but to no avail as no action had taken until now. Ironically the officials who were caught red-handed and suspended were reinstated at the Mithi warehouse of relief goods, he claimed. The Prime Minister has taken the notice after the failure of the Sindh government in dealing the situation that had made the lives of people of Thar nothing less than a misery.
