01.05.2013 Views

Khawaja Zaheer Ahmed - PDMA

Khawaja Zaheer Ahmed - PDMA

Khawaja Zaheer Ahmed - PDMA

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

late in various phases, both due to incompetence and widespread corrupt<br />

practices that continue to be seen in the disbursements of ex-gratia assistance or<br />

rehabilitation. A former Prime Minister also joined the affectee-protestors.<br />

14. As regards the specific grievances of the petitioners, the media<br />

representatives and members of civil society who deposed before the<br />

Commission at Islamabad and the affectees who met with the Commission<br />

during field visits, their submissions are summarized below:-<br />

a. Ms. Marvi Memon, MNA (the Petitioner in Constitution Petition<br />

No.62 of 2010) from Thatta, in Sindh levelled serious allegations<br />

based on a detailed account of her meticulously documented field<br />

visits along the flood-route of River Indus that began from Gilgit-<br />

Baltistan. Her contentions were supplemented by multi-media<br />

presentations, video-clips and summary of day-to-day media<br />

coverage of reported events to flag various aspects of<br />

mismanagement and neglect in handling of the disaster, in all its<br />

phases. According to the petitioner, relevant departments had failed<br />

to faithfully undertake or execute pre-flood plans, upkeep the<br />

maintenance works due to negligence, incompetence, corrupt<br />

practices or combination thereof. It was asserted that specific<br />

warnings by the Flood Commission and Meteorological Department<br />

about high floods at Guddu and Sukkur barrages were ignored.<br />

During rescue, Shikarpur flood affectees were denied access to<br />

Benazirabad (formerly Nawabshah) and many others from upper<br />

Sindh were not allowed relocation in Karachi. Breaching of Tori and<br />

PB Bunds and B.S. Feeder and many more cuts/breaches violated<br />

past practices and departmental procedures enforced in 1976 when<br />

Ali-Wahn Bund was breached to save people and crops but that<br />

was not allowed in the 2010 Flood. Drawing attention to her<br />

frequent field-visits to affected areas, particularly in K.N. Shah and<br />

Thatta in Sindh, she noted that most people alleged that their<br />

Page 30 of 211

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!