Mubashar Naqvi
Muzaffarabad
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan on Monday directed the authorities concerned to start immediate rescue operation in the rains affected areas of the state.
The Prime Minister in his telephonic conversation with Minister State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) Ahmed Raza Qadri directed him to accelerate rescue and relief activities in the rain and snowfall hit areas of Azad Kashmir.
He directed the SDMA to collaborate with the relevant departments and rush to the far-flung remote areas of the state to provide relief to the affectees at the earliest.
Raja Farooq Haider also issued directives the administration to provide all possible assistance to the affectees stuck in their areas due to torrential rains and heavy snowfall.
He also ordered to ensure that sufficient resources such as food, medicines, blankets and other basic necessities of life are available in affected areas.
The Prime Minister also directed to the Deputy Commissioners of the affected districts to speed up their rescue operations to minimize the vulnerabilities of the people.
Meanwhile, a meeting presided over by Chief Secretary AJK Mathar Niaz Rana on Monday reviewed the latest situation arising out after heavy rains and snowfall in various parts of the state.
The meeting reviewed the status of road networks, availability of the foodstuff and medical staff in the rains and snowfall affected areas of the state.
The Chief Secretary directed the concerned department to immediately clear the roads closed due to land-sliding or heavy snowfall for the smooth rescue and relief operation in the affected areas.
SDMA has been directed to immediately activate its Control Room for the effective coordination between Police, Works and other line departments.
Mathar Niaz Rana also directed the Health Department to ensure availability of sufficient medicine stock, doctors and paramedics in affected areas of AJK.
Deputy Commissioners have been directed to immediately arrange temporary shelters on the roads closed by the rains or snowfall so that travelers could stay there till clearance of roads. They are also directed to identify those areas for the temporary shelters where there is fear of the road blockade.
Food Department has been directed to ensure proper food stock in the far-flung and remote areas of the state so that incase of road inaccessibility there should be no food shortage in these areas.
Earlier, Secretary SDMA Shahid Mohy-ud-Din Qadri briefed the meeting that State Emergency Operation Center has been setup to effectively deal with the emergent situation.
