Web Desk (LTN NEWS): As deadly flash floods and torrential rains continue to hit many parts of Balochistan, and despite everyone’s best efforts over the past few days, there is still no rail or road connection between Quetta and the rest of the country, the provincial government asked the Centre for a special package of Rs60 billion to fix infrastructure and help flood-affected families.
After five people were swept away by floodwaters near the Saranan area of Pishin district on Tuesday evening and the body of a five-year-old girl was found in the Syed Hameed River in the Saranan area, officials put the total number of deaths in the province at 205. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) didn’t say how many people had died until late Wednesday night.
Since several days ago, floodwater has been covering the railway track that connects Balochistan to other provinces. This has stopped passenger and goods train service, and railway officials thought it would take a few more days to fix.
Heavy rains have stopped road and rail links between Quetta and the rest of the country for several days. The Center has been asked to give a Rs60 billion package.
Read More: Heavy rains are killing people in Balochistan: Rs 50,000 to affected families says PM
Railway officials said that since three days ago, no train could leave Quetta for Karachi, Punjab, or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “No incoming or outgoing trains have left for their destinations yet,” an official said. He or she also said that engineers and other Pakistan Railways employees would check the track once the floodwaters went down, and that train service between Quetta and the rest of the country would start again once the track was clear. “It would take a few more days to get train service back up and running,” the official said.
“About 5 km of the main railway line is still underwater,” a high-ranking local government official told Dawn. He also said that the same thing was happening with road traffic.
In the meantime, the Balochistan government sent a resolution to Islamabad that was recently passed by the provincial assembly. “Balochistan doesn’t have enough money to fix up the places that were destroyed or pay the people who lost a lot of money,” the resolution said.
It asked the provincial government to ask the federal government for a special package of at least Rs50bn to Rs60bn to help rebuild 32 districts that had been destroyed. It also asked the provincial government to cancel all utility bills and agriculture loans in the areas that had been declared disaster-hit.
