Share this story!            

Senate committee for duty free import of ‘special vehicles’

* Senators ask govt to stop buying costly cars
* Maulana Sami offers to admit 5,000 affected children to his seminary

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The Senate standing committee on social welfare and special education on Friday asked the government to allow the duty free import of cars and special vehicles for people disabled or handicapped by the earthquake.

The meeting that was chaired by Nighat Agha also underlined the need for a comprehensive and sustainable plan for the rehabilitation of those who were disabled in the earthquake. The meeting had been convened to discuss welfare plans for the people injured in the earthquake. The meeting said that the government should allow the import of special vehicles for the disabled people as the local automobile industry did not have the capability to equip locally manufactured cars.

The participants also said that the expenditures that the government makes in importing costly foreign cars, including bulletproof vehicles, should be curtailed and a national policy in this regard should be announced.

The committee chairperson said that it was the government’s duty to ensure that the quake-affected children were looked after well and rehabilitated. Senator Maulana Samiul Haq offered to accommodate at least 5,000 children in his madrassa and to ensure free accommodation and education for them.

The committee was informed by the federal secretary of social welfare that the Pakistan Baitul Mal had taken timely steps to support the rehabilitation of earthquake victims and had distributed Rs 129 million among 7,189 affected families of Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Mansehra, Shangla, Swat and Peshawar.

The secretary said that an institute had been established near Hattian where healthcare, education and vocational training facilities were being offered to 1,000 earthquake victims including destitute women and children.

He said that three vocational centres had been established in Garhi Pan Chowk, Domail and Bagh in Azad Kashmir and that plans for 38 more were in the pipeline, which would be established in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund.

The meeting was told that the National Council of Social Welfare had distributed tents, medicines, mineral water, foodstuff and plastic sheets worth Rs 2.9 million among earthquake survivors of Balakot and Shangla. The federal secretary said that relief goods including medicines and gas cylinders worth Rs 5.626 million that were received from Qatar, had also been distributed among the affected people.

The meeting was attended by senators Tanveer Khalid, Abida Saif, Shujaul Mulk, Maulana Samiul Haq, Saadia Abbasi, Muhammad Sarwar Kakar and Muhammad Enver Baig.

Home | National

Share this story!