No check on bodies collecting donations for flood victims

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

ISLAMABAD: Different social and religious organisations established their camps to collect donations for flood-affected people in federal capital without permission of district administration while authorities are silent over this situation.

After the flood devastation in different areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh, different social and religious organizations established their camps without the permission of authorities and collecting cash, clothes and other food items. These organizations are collecting million of rupees cash donations and utilizing them by their own will. All the organizations are transferring collected amount to their accounts and no transparent system has been adopted so far by any organization to distribute this amount to the flood-victims.

These organizations are running their business secretly and are reluctant to provide any details of their activities.

Khubaib Foundation administration officer Arif Habib told this scribe that this organization had collected million of rupees cash, clothes and blankets which are being sent to affected areas of Charsadda, Mardan, Nowshera and other areas.

He said they were transferring relief goods through their own vehicles and also hired private vehicles; however, he was reluctant to provide exact amount of cash they collected so far and number of vehicles, which were being used for transportation to affected areas.

Al Qasim foundation administrator Abdul Qayyum said they were distributing the donations in affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through their own volunteers. He said no specific criteria had been adapted to recruit volunteers, just willingness of person.

Besides this, there is not any code of conduct by the district authorities to regulate these organizations and it this amount can be misused as there has been no check by the authorities.

Imran worker of MQM at relief camp said they were collecting only cash that they would send it to their regional office in Lahore and relief items would be sent from Lahore office to affected areas.

He said that being a worker of the organization he was collecting donations and refused to provide details of this process of transferring cash donations from one account to another.

Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Amer Ahmed Ali said district administration had issued directions to Capital Development Authority (CDA) and police to scrutinize these flood donation organizations in city.

He said district administration had ordered police to adopt a code of conduct for such organization. Process of scrutiny of all these organizations would be completed in two or three days, he added.

Ali further said that district administration would also cross-check relief work of these organizations with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) that either these organization were providing relief goods to the victims or not. He affirmed that banned organizations would not be allowed to collect donations and other relief items and if they do so their luggage would be confiscated.