Flood damages: Sindh bans official lunches, dinners, hi-tea

KARACHI: The Sindh government has announced a set of austerity measures, including a ban on hi-tea, reduction in the utility quota of govt employees, ban on the purchase of all types of vehicles and creation of new posts, ARY News reported.

According to the notification, the govt has imposed a ban on lunches, dinners and hi-teas at government offices and its allied departments and autonomous bodies.

Furthermore, the consumption of utilities at the government level and at offices would be reduced by 10 per cent while the purchase of office equipment and supplies has also been restricted.

The provincial government has asked its employees to limit traveling for unnecessary meetings and promote zoom meetings at govt offices.

According to WHO, 84 districts of the country have been affected by floods. Over 2,000 health facilities have been damaged in flooding, World Health Organization’s (WHO) Pakistan representative had said.

Around 33 million people have been affected in unprecedented flooding in Pakistan. 1.7 million houses have been damaged by the flood and the construction of all the damaged houses would cost Rs 160 billion, of them the World Bank has pledged Rs 110 billion, and the remaining amount is being arranged by the provincial government from the federal government and through sources and donors.