MITHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has said he has set up his camp office in Mithi to oversee himself the relief operation in the drought-hit Tharparkar district and ensure transparency in distribution of aid. He said while presiding over a high-profile meeting of parliamentarians and official of district administration at Darbar hall here on Wednesday that he had issued strict directives to elected representatives of Mirpurkhas division to take all necessary steps to ensure transparency in the relief operation.

Mr Shah said that he would stay in Mithi as long as the relief operation continued and till medicines, food, wheat, fodder and other relief items reached all starving families.

He said that two committees had been formed to point out negligence and flaws in the relief operation and legal action would be taken against those found responsible for negligence in light of the committees` reports.

He said that so far 48,000 families had been supplied wheat whereas medicines and other items of daily use were also being distributed. The supervision of relief operation byelected representatives would be trusted and continued, he said.

The meeting was attended by provincial ministers Dost Ali Rahoomo, Gianchand Esrani, Jam Khan Shoro, Ali Mardan Shah and Asghar Ali Junejo, MNA Faqir Sher Mohammad Bilalani, MPA Dr Mahesh Kumar Malani, relief coordinator Taj Hyder and others.

Ex-nazim voices no trust in govt`s relief managers A former nazim of Tharparkar has expressed no trust in relief committees and said the provincial government and district administration have handed over relief operation to the same corrupt officials and waderas of the ruling party and their henchmen who have committed misappropriation of relief goods in past.

Talking to journalists at the press club here on Wednesday, he alleged that despite the prime minister`s directive to ensure transparency in distribution of wheat, the government had assigned the task to the same corrupt coterie of officials and their henchmen.

He said that people had complained to him during a visit to Nagarparkar that local PPP leaders, their favourite revenue officials attaluka level and their henchmen were misappropriating the relief wheat and supplying it to a select number of people on political grounds, depriving the deserving populace of their right.

He urged the government to appoint honest people from civil society, villages and towns and representatives of opposition party to the relief committees to ensure transparency in relief operation.

Govt`s relief efforts flawed The Marooara Coordination Council, a network of more than 30 NGOs, has termed the government`s relief efforts in the drought-stricken Thar inadequate, flawed and nontransparent. The office-bearers of the NGO Ali Akbar Rahoomo, Partab Shivani and Bharumal Amrani said at a news conference at the press club late on Tuesday night that the loss of human lives and livestock was caused by unnecessary delay by the government in declaring Tharparkar drought-hit, lack of vaccination by livestock department, shortage of funds and doctors and lack of facilities at basic health units, dispensaries and hospitals.

They said that many poor families had been experiencing starvationover the past few months but it appeared the government was doling them out wheat for only a few days.

The government`s package contained 50 kg wheat for each affected family which would be distributed, to the utter astonishment of all, on the basis of 1998 census, they said.

No criteria had been made for the distribution of wheat and no package had been announced for pregnant women and children below five years of age while unplanned distribution of aid by philanthropists was adding to problems, they said.

They urged the Sindh government to form a comprehensive policy and channelise relief efforts to ensure provision of wheat to all famished families.

Protest against unfair distribution of wheat A large number of villagers staged a demonstration outside the press club here on Wednesday in protest against unfair distribution of wheat by a godown keeper in the Ralo Rind village near Mithi.

The protesters told journalists that instead of supplying them 50 kg wheat free of cost, the godown keeper supplied 40kg to each family and charged Rs100 for the dole.