YDERABAD, Oct 6: JUI-F Senator Dr.Khalid Mehmood Soomro has demanded re-appointment of district relief committees in Sindh to ensure a transparent distribution of relief goods which are being handed over to favourites of PPP`s ministers as if recent rain have affected PPP workers only.

He disagreed with Senate Chairman`s observation about relief operation while talking to journalists in New Sabzi Mandi relief camp.

`I don`t agree with Chairman Senate that people have tents and ration bags.

In fact one third of rain-hit population doesn`t have tents and ration bags.

Government has issued directives to administration not to donate even 250 grams of wheat flour without concerned minister`s permission who is heading district relief committee`, Mr Soomro told Dawn over phone after his visit to the camp.

According to him, the senators had collected Rs50 million of which Rs20 million were used to buy food stuff and Rs10 million for tents. Of Rs50 million, an amount of Rs15 million were donated by members of Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industries and Rs20 mil-lion were collected from philanthropists in Dubai. The senators have visited Tando Allahyar, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Naukot and Hyderabad. They would now visit Benazirabad and Sanghar on Friday.

`Administrations had badly failed in rescue operation which was the first phase of disaster. Following last year`s floods government should have prepared itself but it did nothing. About 100,000 livestock has perished only in Umerkot`, he said.

He said that casualties took place due to lack of preparedness on the part of administrations. Now, he said, relief operation was under way that remains largely questionable. `Only selected people are being given relief goods. It indicated as if only people belonging to PPP had been hit by disaster.

Primary reason to it was the appointment of district relief committees (DRCs) comprising only PPP leaders.

These committees have been formed by chief minister. I have no confidence in these committees and, with their present composition, they can`t ensure transparency`, he said.

He said that these DRCs needed to be reconstituted. `A transparent relief oper-ation is linked to a broad-based relief committees having representation from religious and political parties, civil society and media representatives`, he said.

He severely criticised performance of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). `NDMA has only 22 member staff and they are supposed to handle a disaster of this scale`, he said.

He pointed out that NDMA`s bye-laws call for formation of Disaster Response Force (DRF) which has not been formed and this fact has been admitted by the NDMA chairman before senators. NDMA boss conceded that no training is given to staff no such force is formed or volunteers appointed, he added. `NDMA was given Rs1 billion following last year floods. It also had Rs7 billion saving from last year to spend on disaster mitigation`, he said.

Mr Soomro pointed out that current disaster is not only natural but a manmade one too. `The LBOD and other saline water drains have wreaked havoc in rain-hit areas. Saline water drains were not de-silted though irrigation officials did get millions of rupees every year but didn`t utilise them for this purpose`, he said.