Flood survivors hit new low, but let’s get the CM new wings!

With more than 300,000 families still to be rehabilitated in the province after deadly monsoon rains and flooding, the PPP-led Sindh government, instead of taking immediate measures for their rehabilitation, is planning to spend money on buying a brand new executive aircraft for the provincial chief minister, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Reportedly, the aircraft currently in use of the chief executive is in perfectly good condition and being flown successfully by the chief pilot officer.
Sources in the Sindh government told Pakistan Today that the purchase of new aircraft suggests that the executive authority only wants to enjoy luxuries instead of resolving issues of the masses.
A research-based civil society situation report had disclosed that despite the passage of seven months after the floods wreaked havoc in the province, around 328,555 families in the flood-hit districts of Sindh are still living in rented accommodations or relief camps as the government is yet to rebuild the 796,861 damaged houses in the 13 districts of the province.
This was disclosed in the ‘Civil Society Flood Situation Report’ prepared by People’s Accountability Commission on Floods, a network of volunteers and representatives of flood-affected communities of Sindh. Currently, the Sindh chief minister is enjoying air travel in LEARJET 45XR, registration No AP-BHY, Model 2006, with the aircraft in excellent condition.
“The only demerit of the present aircraft is that it can only accommodate a maximum of only nine officials with the chief minister,” the sources opined. In this regard, the Services General Administration & Coordination Department’s secretary invited through an advertisement No INF-KRY 716/12 in the local dailies on February 23 for the LEARJET in excellent condition. Most interestingly, the secretary on the same day gave another advertisement No INF-KRY 717/12 inviting tender for the purchase of an executive aircraft.
“Government of Sindh intends to purchase a new executive jet having a minimum seating capacity of 8-12 (excluding toilet seat and galley space) through international competitive bidding,” said the advertisement. Despite being an agricultural province, Sindh is the poorest and the most food-deprived province of the country, with 70 percent of its total population (estimated at 35 million) facing food insecurity, according to the National Nutrition Survey (NNS) 2011.
However, the ill planning of the elected representatives has left the people of the province at the mercy of these rich people, who have nothing to do with the miseries of the poor.