Rangers starts relief work in Mubarak Village

Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, has started relief work in Mubarak village, 65 kilometres from here. But Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) told Business Recorder here on Wednesday that other coastal areas like Deh Lal Bhakkar, Deh Allah Banno and other villages in Deh Mann were also in dire need of the humanitarian aid.
During the last three days, stormy winds and rains lashed almost 6,000 residents, mostly fishermen, of the village located in Hawkesbay, Union Council 8, Keamari Town. Besides providing relief goods, including flour, ghee, sugar, pulses, tea, biscuits and milk to the villagers, the Rangers also deployed almost 175 personnel to help the fishermen repair their houses, mostly made of wood.
The Rangers also established a free medical camp in the village of 750 houses to extend health facilities to the poor villagers and providing 35,000 gallons of water. "The relief goods have been made available from the Rangers Welfare Fund purely on humanitarian ground", said Colonel Parvez of Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, in his briefing to the mediamen in the rain-effected village.
According to the list provided by the City District Government Karachi (CDGK), rains and stormy winds had damaged 58, 46 katcha (wood made) and 12 Pakka (cement made) houses, with no report of casualties.
But the Rangers differed from the city government's data, and said that the figures were exaggerated and only a few houses were destroyed. The PFF, on the other hand, asked the Rangers to extend the area of its relief work to the other villages and Goths as the torrential rains had destroyed 250 houses and a mosque in Deh Allah Banno, while 150 houses were damaged in Deh Lal Bhakkar. Four people injured in Deh Allah Banno.
"We have limited resources, which was not enough for relief work in all the affected areas and I think the city and provincial governments should be consulted", said Colonel Parvez in response to the PFF appeal. Meanwhile, the fishermen in Mubarak village accused the Keamari Town administration of doing nothing for the relief of villagers.
"We have got nothing from the town administration, but on Tuesday night at around one o'clock when people were fast asleep, the town Nazim visited the village and distributed small packets of food ", said Raja Gulistan, a fisherman. "Pakistan Rangers is the first institution to distribute relief goods among the villagers", said another area resident Himmat Khan.
"Rangers is distributing food, but the method is so indiscriminate that I got nothing while others have had their share twice or thrice", complained an angry villager Salaan.
Meanwhile, Keamari Town Nazim Humayoun Mohammad Khan told Business Recorder that he had visited the affected areas and also distributed meal among the villagers. "I visited the areas on Monday and provided food to the villagers", the town Nazim said.
When asked what future plans the town administration had devised as the monsoon season was looming large, he said proper plans would be made to avoid theses sort of disasters. "I had a meeting with the Chief Minister on this issue and we are working on a strategy to cope with the rain-related disasters", he said.
On the issue of compensation to the affectees by the town administration, he said the administration had no funds to compensate the damages and the provincial government should take this matter into account.