News
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Cyclone-hit areas face food shortage* Petrol in Gwadar reaches Rs 100 per litre
* Army continues relief efforts, dispatches food and medicine to affected areasLAHORE/ISLAMABAD: People in Gwadar and Pasni face shortage of food as heavy torrential rains dashed in on Sindh and its coastal areas after Cyclone Phet hit these areas on Sunday, a private television channel reported on Monday.
According to the private television channel, the price of petrol and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in Gwadar has risen to Rs 100 per litre and Rs 80 per kilogramme respectively.
The land route between Gwadar, Jiwani, Pasni, Pushkan and more than 50 other villages has been cut off, and crops have been destroyed due to dams bursting in the adjoining areas of Gwadar, the channel said.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department had directed fishermen to resume their activities from Monday as Cyclone Phet has turned onto low-pressure areas over Rajhastan in neighbouring India.
The Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, a non-government organisation working for fishermen, claimed on Monday that the recent rains due to the cyclone have damaged at least 600 small villages in the Karachi, Thatta and Badin districts, and that hundreds of residents were still marooned and disconnected from the outside world. He said there was no transport, and the people were setting up shelters on their own, since the government agencies had done nothing for them.
The army on Monday continued the provision of relief goods to the people affected by the cyclone in Gwadar and Pasni.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, the army had dispatched relief goods and food on board two helicopters and a C-130 aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force for the cyclone-affected people in Gwadar and Pasni.
The relief goods included 4,000 blankets, 413 pillows, 500 tents and 400 jackets, and 15,200 kilogrammes of dry milk powder, tea, sugar, salt and dates, the channel said. daily times monitor/app/amar guriro
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk