Daily Times

In this time of trouble, the government, particularly, is regarded a ray of hope for the nation. It is either unfortunate or incompetency that the government has always left the nation isolated. People have never been found what actually they expected by their elected members to get. Apart from asking for the votes, they never tried to share people’s sufferings.

As Sindh government had made sure that each and every deserving family would get food ration during the days of the lockdown regime in Sindh so as to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further in the province. In this regard CM Sindh had announced to provide two million ration bags to the needy people and earlier on March 26, CM Shah had released Rs 580 million from which a sum of Rs 20 million was allocated for every district of the province and it was decided that ration would be distributed under supervision of DCs. Soon It has come to no avail due to less as per population and immature mechanism. Afterwards, an immediate release has been made as another instalment of Rs500 million from the provincial government’s Corona Emergency Relief Fund and said in an additional note that ration and cash payments could be increased in case of another extension of lockdown.

Furthermore, a mere 250 ration bags had been given to each relief committee to distribute in its respective union committee, the average population of which is around 70,000. The reason behind the formation of the COVID-19 relief committees was to distribute ration bags among the needy persons at the union committee and ward level and DCs were assigned to supervise and monitor the distribution of the rations, according to a notification issued by the Sindh chief secretary on past March 26. But even then the government was remained unable to fulfill its claims due to its unconnected planning and incompetency on part of the government machinery.

Daily Times contacted union council members to find out the actual prevailing situation inside. A union committee chairman in Landhi Industrial Area said the Sindh government had allocated the union committees only 250 free ration bags which were inhabited by around 70,000 people. Among the 250 ration bags, the UC chairman along with his team of councilors distributed a mere 70 bags and the rest of the bags would be distributed by other members of the committee, who are supposed to the members of the PPP,” he mentioned, requesting anonymity.

Mirza Sajid Baig, a Chairman UC 24 Korangi told Daily Times that since lockdown imposed we have been listening that ration would be distributed but yet nothing has been done on ground. As Deputy Commissioner asked to prepare a list of 100 deserving families in UC, we had handed over the list to DC office. Families who already have given their CNIC, now asking about ration which is creating panic for us what to reply them. He added. While talking about mechanism of disbursement he stated that for the result oriented disbursements govt should put trust on UC chairman, because chairman is only the person who better know about the area whereabouts.

Waseem ud Din Ahmed Meo, another UC Chairman plus focal person nominated by DC office expressing his grievances on Sindh government policy about ration disbursement he said, even a single bag has not yet been given to the people of my area, as UC consists of more than 1 lac people but registered voters are 32000 and mostly are daily wagers, he added. He said, “Janjal Poora, Rajpoot Colony and M Ali Colony are congested with almost five thousands families who are affected and helpless in ongoing lockdown”.

According to Daily Times survey, in various parts of the city, groups of people held protests against the fact that the relief funds and items were not reaching the deserving people even on the 15th day of lockdown. Residents in neighbourhoods in Korangi Industrial Area have been the most affected people due to the lockdown because most of them are daily-wage workers, street hawkers and rickshaw drivers. Shakeel Malah, a fisherman from Ibrahim Haidri also expressed concern over the distribution mechanism of the free rations. He demanded that the government should have engaged genuine community leaders in the distribution of the free rations among the residents.

It has come to know via survey that a majority of the people in these neighbourhoods have not received free rations yet and it is mainly because the deputy commissioner has handed over the task to members of the ruling party who allegedly found distributing the ration bags among the party supporters. As per chairmen UCs 24 and 27 Korangi, ration bags have not been delivered to them. Mr. Faizan, chairman UC 35, Korangi said. “We called people between 2am and 4am on the point decided by authorities and distributed 70 out of 150 ration bags. Rest of bags remained undelivered because people most people, as a protest have refused to receive the bags. They protested against govt’s unfulfilled promise about ration distribution at every single door of affected people. They were also in anger for late night calls for collecting the ration. According to sources’ inside information various union communities out of 209 of the city have still been waiting for food stiff for their survival.

The Sindh government has been under severe criticism. It has been being alleged by many political parties in the opposition in Sindh, including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and a large number of social activists have complained that the DCs have nominated many local leaders of the ruling PPP as the relief committee conveners who have been distributing rations only among the PPP supporters.

Almost all the chairmen of the Zakat committees have been appointed by the PPP who are the members of the relief committees as per the notification. PTI parliamentary leader in the Sindh Assembly, Haleem Adil Shaikh has a statement that the PPP did not spare an opportunity to do corruption even in the severe crisis of the pandemic. “The PPP allocated Rs 2 crores to each district in the name of relief committees and accommodated its party leaders in the committees to embezzle it,” he said.

It had been passed eighteen days after promulgation of lockdown in Sindh which directly and indirectly left its affects over the lives of common people who have become at the edge facing starvation particularly those whose lives survived on their daily wages. This worsen situation still draws the attention of the rulers and philanthropists to heed them for assistance.