Staff Reporter
Karachi
President Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) Agha Shahab Ahmed Khan, while expressing deep concerns over the disaster suffered by Karachi due to torrential rainfalls, urged the government to immediately declare Karachi as ‘calamity-hit’ and intensify rescue and relief activities as many areas have been terribly inundated, hundreds of houses, particularly those situated in low-lying areas, have been completely swept away and a huge population remains stranded at the rooftops of their homes because of massive flooding all around their areas.
In a statement issued, Agha Shahab stated that the poor population of Karachi is the worst hit segment of the society as they have lost everything including their homes and all other belongings during the extraordinary torrential rainfall of Tuesday hence, the federal and provincial governments will have to immediately provide relief in shape of financial support and must also provide alternate settlements and food stuffs to all such affectees until their ravaged houses are reconstructed through government’s financial support as it is purely the government’s responsibility to secure properties of the masses hence all the damages caused by natural calamities and the losses suffered by the poor masses have to be fully compensated and borne by the government.
He stressed that the poor segment of society is also equally important which cannot be left alone and stranded under wide-open sky with empty stomachs so the government must devise effective strategies to ensure sufficient food supplies, temporary accommodations and financial support till all their houses are restored and their lives returns to normalcy. “In this regard, the government must utilize available funds from the national exchequer to extend financial support to the rain affectees so that they could rebuild their houses and restore their lives at the earliest”, he added.
