PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has announced an increase in compensation for the flood-damaged houses.
An important video link meeting was held under the chairmanship of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur regarding the flood-affected districts, in which a detailed review of the ongoing relief and rehabilitation activities in the affected areas was conducted.
The meeting was attended by the Chief Secretary, Secretary Relief, and Deputy Commissioners of the affected districts of Buner, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, Battagram, Lower Dir, Bajaur, Swabi and Tank. During the meeting, the Chief Minister was briefed on the progress so far, in which it was informed that 70 to 80 per cent data on property damage in the affected areas has been collected.
The Chief Minister directed that checks for providing financial assistance to the affected families under the food package should be prepared after Friday prayers tomorrow. Under the food package, Rs. 15,000 per family will be transferred through mobile banking.
In addition, the relief funds have also been significantly increased for the compensation of house losses. The compensation for destroyed houses has been increased from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 1 million, while for partially damaged houses, the amount has been increased from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3 lakh.
The Chief Minister directed the concerned authorities to start paying for the losses of livestock in the affected districts as soon as possible, and the process of providing fodder to the animals should be started immediately. Rs 5 crore has been released to the Livestock Department for this purpose.
Ali Amin Gandapur directed to pay special attention to the affected families of Bajaur and said that families who have voluntarily relocated should also be assisted with Rs 15,000 per family.
Furthermore, the Chief Minister directed to start of a damage survey in Tank, Dera Ismail Khan and South Waziristan and ordered to seek cabinet approval to provide compensation of Rs 5 lakh per vehicle to the owners of vehicles swept away in the floods.
Instructions were also issued for advance arrangements for a possible second round of rains in the future. Because of the threat of melting glaciers in Upper Chitral and Upper Swat, it was recommended to temporarily relocate the affected populations to safer places, while it was also decided to restrict tourists to these areas.
