Sep 17, 2010

Sindh: PPP Seeks Work Visas for Flood-Hit Youths


The secretary-general of the Sindh Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Taj Hyder, has made an urgent request for work visas to provide flood-affected youths with career prospects abroad. 

 

Below is an article published by The Dawn:

 

Secretary-general of the Sindh chapter of PPP Taj Hyder has appealed to the developed world to provide work visa to 50,000 flood-affected youths keeping in view the widespread devastations wreaked by heavy floods in Pakistan, particularly Sindh.

He said: “We were a respectable nation and instead of living on charity, we believe in earning our livelihood through hard work.”

Addressing a news conference at the circuit house on Monday [13 September 2010], he said that if 50 friendly countries provided jobs to 1,000 youths each, they would become self-sufficient in one year.

He condemned the statement of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer about construction of Kalabagh dam and said that he was a non-technical person. Even if Kalabagh dam had been in existence, it could have stored only 6MAF whereas the present flood was carrying 70MAF, he said.

About payment of compensation to flood survivors and their rehabilitation, Taj Hyder said that the government had entrusted the task to Nadra to register IDPs after collecting correct figures.

He claimed that Nadra was already in possession of details to the extent of 92 per cent about the affected areas and added that the registration of unregistered IDPs would be done on the evidence of elders of particular areas.

He said that after completion of registration, Watan cards would be issued to the affected people for payment of Rs20,000 compensation through banks.

He expressed the hope that after receiving initial compensation, IDPs would start returning to their homes.

He, however, conceded that Nadra had opened less registration counters than required, which could delay the process of registration.

About complaints of mismanagement at relief camps, he directed party workers to constitute relief committees to ensure the distribution of relief goods in an organised manner.

Answering a question, Taj Hyder said that the party had established training centres and schools in Karachi relief camps and added that similar arrangements were also being made by the party in Hyderabad relief camps as well as other areas.

He said the PPP was working with other parties and NGOs to complete reconstruction of infrastructure and rehabilitation of IDPs because this Herculean task could not be left at the mercy of bureaucracy.

He suggested that the government should register heads of families among IDPs and added that all the affected people living in the relief camp or under the open sky should be paid compensation.

Taj Hyder, who visited Manchhar Lake on Sunday, expressed concern over the lake situation. He said water level had reached 119-RL and added that the Indus was still in high flood and could not absorb water from Manchhar.

He said Tori breach had almost been closed and the water flow had decreased in Guddu and Sukkur barrages and water level at Hamal Lake had also decreased by one-and-a-half feet.

He, however, said that situation at Manchhar Lake caused concern and added that with further decline in Indus water, more water from Manchhar would be released.