Due to lack of manpower, Sindh Relief department has hired private people to deploy in the 'Humanitarian Cell', which has been established for co-ordination between district administrations, NGOs and donors for coping with any kind of emergency during the heavy rains expected in upcoming monsoon season.
The meteorological department has forecast more than usual rains in Sindh and other areas of country during the monsoon season this year. In the wake of the heavy rains' official forecast, the concerned departments of Sindh government including Irrigation, Local Government, Revenue, Forest, Rehabilitation and others have yet not made comprehensive plans to cope with situation in the monsoon.
Sources told Business Recorder that Relief department was considered as backbone of provincial government as far as coping with the situation in natural calamities is concerned. The department carried out relief works during the floods of 2010 and the heavy rains of 2011. However, it is facing acute shortage of staff, they added.
During the 2010 and 2011 floods and heavy rains, the department worked drawing the manpower mainly form Revenue, Education, Irrigation, Health and Local government departments. In case of any emergency during the upcoming monsoon, the department once again would be seeking the support of the aforesaid departments for carrying out relief activities, they added.
Keeping in view such a situation, the relief department hired professionals from private sector including NGOs for the humanitarian cell established a few weeks ago on the special instructions of Advisor to Chief Minister Haleem Adil Shaikh About five people have been hired for the cell including Azhar Tanwri, Coordinator, Abdul Waheed Panhwar, Networking and Co-ordination Officer, Rubina and others, they added.
The cell has been given the task to prepare profarmas for collecting all kind of information needed for the relief activities, giving proposals for seeking funds from international and local donors, to prepare feasibilities for expenditures of relief and rescue activities and to prepare all type of reports regarding the floods, rains, its losses, damages and rehabilitation of the affected people and areas.
As the department has no official for the office of the cell, Haleem Adil Shaikh, who is also Secretary General of PML-Q Sindh chapter, has allowed the private staff of the cell to sit at the camp office of PML-Q located in Mohammad Ali Society, they informed.