The Supreme Court (SC) told the federal and provincial governments on Tuesday to ensure implementation of the recommendations of the Flood Inquiry Commission in letter and spirit, and take stern action against the people whose negligence had caused a colossal loss of Rs 855 billion to the national economy in last year’s floods. A three-member SC bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Tariq Parvez and Justice Amir Hani Muslim also ordered the text of the Flood Inquiry Commission’s recommendations to be published in newspapers nationwide. The court ordered the provincial chief secretaries concerned to ensure stern action against the people the Inquiry Commission had held responsible for the negligence, and submit their report to the SC registrar after 15 days.
The court also told them to include in their reports action they had taken against those responsible for the negligence while implementing the Inquiry Commission’s recommendations. During the hearing, the chief justice observed that the government was constitutionally bound to protect the lives and property of the people. The court appreciated the efforts of the Inquiry Commission and the positive role of the media. Later the court disposed of the matter.
The Flood Inquiry Commission formed on the orders of the SC had submitted its final report to the apex court on Monday, revealing that the negligence of the irrigation departments of Sindh and Balochistan had caused losses of Rs 855 billion to the national economy in last year’s devastating floods. According to the report, 1,600 people had lost their lives and thousands more were injured. Almost 4.5 million people lost their livelihood, mostly in the agriculture sector, and Rabi crops for 2010-11 were badly affected. Around 20 million people were made homeless and 7 million students missed their academic session. The report said encroachments made by influential people contributed to obstructions in the flow of water resulting in the floods.
The four-member Flood Inquiry Commission headed by Muhammad Azam Khan was tasked to look into allegations of an unauthorised breach made in the Tori dyke to divert flood waters to Balochistan in order to save the Shahbaz Airbase in Jacobabad, and breaches in embankments of barrages and canals during the 2010 floods that wreaked havoc across the country.
