FBCCI mobilises funds for Pak quake victims

The FBCCI President Mir Nasir Hossain announced this when Ikram uk-Majeed Sehgal, special emissary of the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), met the federation leaders at its office in the city yesterday.

Ikram Sehgal came to Bangladesh to mobilise financial and material assistance from the Bangladeshi businessmen.

"We are working out a plan to collect relief materials for the victims," Nasir said.

He said, " medicine and tea will be sent from the business section of Bangladesh for the victims. Besides, we will also try to send blankets and winter clothes."

He said the apex business body has already issued a circular to all the chamber bodies to mobilise financial and material supports as soon as possible.

"We will try to send at least one relief consignment within November 15," Nasir said.

"The magnitude of devastation cannot be described or explained by words... many of the areas devastated by the earthquake of 7.6 magnitude on the Richter scale had not been reached yet because of inaccessibility through roads," Ikram Sehgal told the business leaders. Landslides have blocked all the roads, he added.

"The response we have received so far from the international community was worth about 700 million US dollar, which is much lower than the estimated amount of 5 to 10 billion US dollar for recovery of the loss," he added.

"We are badly needed tents, blankets and doctors to save the survivors," he said, adding, "At least 500,000 blankets, 2 to 2.5 million tents, and 400 doctors, and many volunteers are required apart from setting up of 30 to 40 hospitals in the affected areas."

Ikram Sehgal called upon the businessmen to respond quickly at the dire needs of the brotherly people of Pakistan. He will leave for New Delhi today to meet the leaders of Federation of India Chamber of Commerce and Industries in a similar mission.

200 tonnes WFP Biscuits

Another report adds, the United Nation World Food Programme (WFP) in Bangladesh is dispatching 200 metric tons of High Energy Biscuits to meet the immediate nutritional needs of earthquake victims in Pakistan.

WFP -chartered aircraft is flying the biscuits from Dhaka to Peshawar in northern Pakistan.

"We are very happy to be able to contribute to the critical operation in Pakistan," said Edward Kallon, WFP Bangladesh Deputy Country Director. "The response to this disaster has transcended boundaries of all sorts, and we hope that our contribution can assist the earthquake survivors."

Transport of the biscuits to Peshawar will continue for four days, through October 25. The biscuits, which are easily transportable, are intended to meet immediate nutritional needs in some of the hardest-to-reach and worst-affected areas of Pakistan.

The high Energy Biscuits have been released from WFP's existing stocks in Bangladesh that are used for school feeding programmes in the country.