ISLAMABAD (APP): National Assembly Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety (PA&SS), in a meeting held here Friday, emphasized the need to establish dedicated District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs) to cope with climatic disasters in future.
The meeting was held under the Chairpersonship of Ms. Saira Bano, Member National Assembly.
The committee summoned Deputy Commissioners of all those districts hit by floods in 2022 to obtain a briefing on funds released for rescue and relief activities.
The Director General Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Sindh informed the Committee that the Government of Sindh released Rs.25.036 billion in Relief Fund for PDMA and Rs.3.791 billion to District Disaster Management Authorities/District Administration (DDMA) under the head of “Unforeseen Expenditure for Disaster Preparedness and Relief and Unforeseen Expenditure”.
The committee noted that the role of District Administration in the flood-affected areas was not up to the mark and caused immense difficulties for the affectees, thus, decided to summon Deputy Commissioners of all those Districts hit by floods during 2022 to obtain a briefing on funds released for rescue and relief activities.
The committee was of the view that there was a need to establish dedicated DDMAs to cope with such climatic disasters in future.
The Committee however directed DG, PDMA Sindh, to provide a copy of Forensic Audit Report of Sindh Peoples Housing Foundation for Flood Affectees to the Committee and Damage Assessment Report to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
The Member (Operations), NDMA, apprised the committee that the Remodeled National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) based on National Common Operating Picture (NCOP) was being constructed which will be finalized on July 30 and likely to be inaugurated on August 10 by the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
The project will help strengthen the coordination amongst the NDMA, PDMAs and DDMAs, he added.
The committee appreciated the management of the NDMA for the said project and urged that Members of the Committee may also be invited to the inaugural ceremony.
The Committee also desired that the public representatives of affected areas be taken on board by the NDMA, PDMAs and DDMAs in future.
The Member (Planning), Capital Development Authority (CDA), informed the Committee that following the directions by the Committee, the compensation of Rs. 100,000/- was given to the brother of deceased Rehri Baan.
The committee held that it would be more effective if the compensation amount was delivered to the widow and children of the deceased Rehri Baan.
The Member CDA assured the committee to look into the issue and try to make available the compensation amount to the family of the deceased Rehri Baan.
The meeting was attended by MNAs including Sardar Talib Hassan Nakai, Ms. Kiran Imran Dar, Zulfiqar Ali Behan, Ms. Shagufta Jumani, Syed Mehmood Shah, Salahuddin, Ms. Nuzhat Pathan and Amir Naveed Jeeva, (Parliamentary Secretary), Ministry of PA&SS, officers of Ministry of PA&SS, NDMA, DGs, PDMAs, Sindh and Punjab.