News
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Zardari approves flood tax for Sindh, MQM rejects
* President directs Sindh CM to take MQM into confidence before tax is introduced
* Asks provincial govt to procure machinery for post-flood rehabilitation of agricultural assets
Staff Report
KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday approved the introducing of flood tax in Sindh to complete the relief and rehabilitation process effectively in flood-affected areas of the province.
His approval came at a high-level meeting held at Bilawal House regarding relief and rehabilitation. Ministers of the departments concerned and bureaucrats were present in the meeting, besides Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah. The president also chaired a separate meeting about flood damages in Balochistan. President Zardari was briefed about the flood devastation in Sindh and the government’s efforts for relief and rehabilitation of over seven million people of the province. Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s representative, provincial Health Minister Dr Saghir Ahmed reiterated his party’s stance at the meeting that it was against the flood tax. The president, however, directed the Sindh chief minister to take the MQM into confidence before the tax was introduced.
Zardari asked the Sindh government to consider reserving a one-kilometre-wide belt of land on katcha side of the river embankment for forests to protect embankments from erosion. He also advised the government to consider procuring agriculture and earth-moving machinery from economical international sources and place them under a government department for post-flood rehabilitation of agricultural assets.
Sunflower: Briefing reporters, the president’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the president also asked the provincial government to encourage sunflower cultivation in the affected districts of Sindh and launch an awareness drive to educate growers on the benefits of sunflower cultivation in the post-flood scenario and provide them incentives in the form of free seed and fertilizer.
The meeting was also briefed about the measures taken so far to facilitate farmers in the flood-affected areas for wheat sowing during the Rabi season. The meeting was informed that the federal government had already decided to provide assistance on an area of 3.5 million acres for wheat sowing throughout the century. It was told that 0.8 million acres of damaged land in Sindh would be brought under wheat cultivation and another 0.4 million acres under cultivation with other Rabi crops.
Review: Work on the restoration of damaged canal system in Sindh was also reviewed during one of the meetings. The provincial irrigation minister informed the meeting that over Rs 7 billion would be needed to restore the damaged canal system in Sindh. Zardari also directed the relevant federal government authorities to pursue with the UK a proposal to upgrade the Sukkur Barrage. He said he had already taken up the matter with British leaders during his meetings with them and they had responded positively.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk