A three-member Supreme Court bench on Monday directed the Sindh government to submit a fresh report on the relief so far given to the flood affected people. The bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Tariq Parvez and Justice Ghulam Rabbani was hearing a petition filed by former National Assembly member Marvi Memon along with documentary evidence about non-implementation of flood inquiry commission’s report.
Appearing on notice, Attorney General Moulvi Anwarul Haq and Sindh Additional Advocate General Meeran Muhammad Shah apprised the court that over 7.1 million people were affected during the recent flooding. They said 6,891,000 affected people have been provided food stuff, adding that the federal and the Sindh governments were struggling hard for the rehabilitation of the victims. The chief justice said preparation of reports alone was not enough. He said the government must take immediate steps to lessen the hardships of flood-affected people, besides taking emergent steps for their rehabilitation.
To a court query, Shah said issuance of Pakistan Cards had been started from Badin district. Haq told the court that removing stagnant water from the flood affected areas was the government’s priority. The chief justice noted that the problems of flood-affected people were increasing, adding that people were without food in many areas. He said the victims were living in miserable condition, but the Sindh government was doing nothing. He said had the flood commission’s report been properly implemented, the province would have been saved from this disaster.
He said no action was taken against the responsible people, whose negligence had caused a lot of damage during last year’s floods. He said the Sindh Irrigation Department should explain why the recommendations made in the flood inquiry commission’s report had not been implemented. In her plea, Marvi requested the Supreme Court to order revival of the flood inquiry commission with a view to determine whether the government had failed in carrying out its recommendations.
