West Pakistan National Calamities (Prevention and Relief) Act, 1958

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THE WEST PAKISTAN NATIONAL CALAMITIES (PREVENTION 
AND RELIEF) ACT, 1958 
 
 
 
 
 
 
      CONTENTS 
Preamble 
1. Short title, extent and commencement 
2. Definitions 
3. Declaration of calamity affected area 
3-A. Appointment of Relief Commissioner 
4. Preventions and relief 
5. Requisition of services of Government officials 
6. Punishment and procedure 
7. Delegation of powers 
8. Revision 
9. Power to give effect to order 
10. Bar to action 
11. Rules 
12. Repeal 
  
 

 
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THE WEST PAKISTAN NATIONAL CALAMITIES (PREVENTION AND 
RELIEF) ACT, 1958 
WEST PAKISTAN ACT No. XXXIII of 1958 
[24th April, 1958] 
AN  
ACT 
to provide for the maintenance and restoration of order in areas affected by certain calamities and 
for the prevention and control of and relief against such calamities 
Preamble. WHEREAS it is expedient to provide for the maintenance and restoration of order 
in areas affected by certain calamities and for the prevention and control of and relief against such 
calamities ;  
It is hereby enacted as follows:__ 
1. Short title, extent a nd commencement . (1) This Act may be called the  West Pakistan  
National Calamities (Prevention and Relief) Act, 1958. 
1[(2) It extends to the whole of the Province of West Pakistan, except the Tribal Areas.] 
(3) It shall come into force at once. 
2. Definitions. In this Act unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context__ 
1[(a) ‘Relief Commissioner’ means the person appointed as such under section 3-A;] 
(b) “Government” means the Government of the West Pakistan ; and 
(c) “Prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act. 
1[3. Declaration of calamity affected area . Whenever the Province or any part thereof is 
affected or threatened by flood, famine, locust or any other pest, hailstorm, fire, epidemic or any other 
calamity which, in the opinion of Government, warrants action under this Act, Government may, by 
notification, declare the whole or any part of the Province, as the case may be, as calamity -affected 
area.] 
1[3-A. Appointment of Relief Commissioner. (1) Government may, by notification, appoint 
a Relief Commissioner for the Province. 
(2) Government may confer on the Relief Commissioner for the whole or part of the Province__ 
(i) the powers of a Magistrate of the First Class under section 144 of the Code of 
Criminal Procedure, 1898; and 
 
1Subs. and Ins. by W. P. Act No. X of 1964, ss. 2-5. 
 
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(ii) powers under such other laws as Government may consider necessa ry for 
carrying out the purpose of this Act.] 
4. Preventions and relief. (1) Subject to the other provisions of this Act and of the rules made 
thereunder, the Relief Commissioner shall, with respect to the calamity-affected area, take such steps 
as he may deem necessary in order to maintain order, prevent, check or control the calamity or reduce 
the extent and severity thereof, or to provide immediate relief to the victims of the calamity in the 
calamity-affected area. 
(2) In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the powers conferred by the 
preceding sub-section the Relief Commissioner shall have power 1[* * *]:__ 
(a) to evacuate or segregate population ; 
(b) to requisition bu ldozers, tractors, motor vehicles, carts, carriages, boats and 
other means of transport by air, land or water, and beasts of burden ; 
(c) to require the residents to declare surplu s stocks of food, fodder, fire -wood, 
clothing and beddings and to requisition all or any of these articles; 
(d) to requisition building materials ; 
(e) to requisition any building or land ; 
(f) to demolish any building or other structure ; 
(g) to conscript labour ; 
(h) to direct any person to abstain from a certain act or to take certain order with 
regard to certain property in his possession or under his management ; 
and after approval of the Government– 
(i) to acquire any land ; or 
(j) to remit in whole or part any Government dues payable by any person or in 
respect of any property affected by the calamity : 
Provided that with respect to the powers conferred by clauses ( b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h) and 
(i) of this sub -section the person owning the article, beasts of burden, building or land which is 
requisitioned or acquired, or the building or other structure which is demolished, or the person directed 
to abstain from any act or to take any order with regar d to any property, and the persons conscripted 
to work as labourers shall be entitled to reasonable compensation as may be claimable under any law 
for the time being in force, or if no such law exists as is applicable to the case, then as prescribed by 
rules under this Act, and such compensation shall be paid within one year from the day it falls due 1[:] 
1[Provided further that the powers conferred by clauses ( a), (f), (g) and (h) of this sub-section 
shall be exercised by the Relief Commissioner only withi n the area or areas declared as calamity -
affected under section 3.] 
 
1Omitted, replaced. and added by W. P. Act No. X of 1964, s. 6. 
 
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(3) Subject to the right of the owner to claim compensation, the property with regard to which 
an order for requisition or acquisition has been passed by the Relief Commissioner shall forthwith vest 
in the Relief Commissioner, who may deal with it in such mann er as he deems proper in order to 
discharge his duties under this Act : 
Provided that when the purpose for which the property was requisitioned has been served it 
may, at his request be returned to the owner after the compensation paid to him has been refu nded by 
him less the depreciation charges. 
(4) The Relief Commissioner may, in addition to any other action prescribed by or under this 
Act, use or cause to be used such force as may, in his opinion, be reasonably necessary for securing 
compliance with or giving effect to or preventing any contravention of an order passed or for the 
effective exercise of a power exercisable under this Act. 
5. Requisition of services of Government officials . The Relief Commissioner may, for the 
purposes of this Act, directly requisition the services of any employee of the Government within the 
calamity-affected area, after consultation with the official superior of his Department, as far as 
practicable, and the person to whom the requisition is addressed shall comply with it as if it were an 
order passed by the Government or, as the case may be, by his official superiors. 
6. Punishment and procedure. (1) Any person who fails to comply with an order passed by 
the Relief Commissioner or any other person authorised to pass an order under this Act or the rules 
thereunder shall be deemed to have disobeyed a direction so as to be liable for punishment under 
section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 (XLV of 1860). 
(2) Nothing in sub-section (1) shall debar a competent authority from taking disciplinary action 
against an employee of the Government who has failed to obey a lawful order passed under this Act 
or the rules thereunder. 
(3) Every offence punishable under this Act shall, within the meaning of the Code of Criminal 
Procedure, 1898  (V of 1898) , be cognizable and may be tried in accordance with the procedure 
prescribed by that Code for summary trials. 
7. Delegation of powers. 1[(1) The Relief Commissioner may in areas declared as calamity -
affected under section 3, by an order in writing, direct that all or any of his powers under this Act, shall 
in relation to such matters, and subject to such conditions, if any, as may be specified in the order, also 
be exercised by such officer, not below the rank of a Gazetted Officer, as may be specified in the 
order.] 
(2) The Relief Commissioner and the officers to whom all or any of his powers have been 
delegated under sub -section (1) shall  be public servants within the meaning of section 21 of the 
Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 (XLV of 1860). 
8. Revision. (1) Any order passed under this Act by the Relief Commissioner, shall be subject 
to revision by the Government, and the Relief Commissioner sh all give effect to the orders of the 
Government made in revision. 
(2) The Government shall, by rules, prescribe the class of cases and the manner in which and 
the time within which orders made under this Act shall be liable to revision by the Government. 
 
 
1Subs. by W. P. Act No. X of 1964, s. 7. 
 
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9. Power to give effect to order . If in any case it is not possible to serve an order under this 
Act on any person without defeating the object of the order or if the person to whom the order is 
addressed fails to comply with it, the Relief Commissioner may, after recording the reason for  doing 
so, give effect to the order and for that purpose may take such steps or pass such order with regard to 
any property as he considers necessary. 
10. Bar to action. No order made under this Act shall be called in question in any court and 
no civil or criminal proceeding shall be instituted against any person for anything done or purported 
to have been done, or intended to be done in good faith under this Act or against any person for any 
loss or damage caused to, or in respect of any property whereof p ossession has been taken or which 
has otherwise been dealt with under this Act. 
11. Rules. (1) The Government shall, as soon as may be, make rules for the purpose of carrying 
into effect the provisions of this Act. 
(2) In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the power conferred by sub-section 
(1), the Government may,  by rules, provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:__ 
(a) the procedure to be adopted in giving alarm of an impending calamity; 
(b) the method of securing information with regard to flood or any other impending 
calamity; 
(c) the measures and precautions to be taken to avert any such calamity; 
(d) the procedure to be followed for survey of places of safety and the entry into 
any such place for the purpose of such survey after a proper notice; 
(e) the method of assessment and payment of compensation on account of 
requisition and acquisition of property under this Act; and 
(f) the procedure with regard to revisions against an order passed under this Act  
and the period during which such revisions can be presented. 
(3) The rules made under this Act shall be laid on the table of the Provincial Assembly during 
the session of the Assembly next following and may be rescinded or modified by a resolution of the 
Assembly. 
12. Repeal. The Punjab National Calamities (Prevention and Relief) Act, 1951  (Punjab III of 
1952) 1[the Khairpur National Calamities (Prevention and Relief) Act, 1954] and the West Pakistan 
National Calamities (Prevention and Relief) Ordinance, 1956 (W.P. Ordinance XI of 1956), are hereby 
repealed. 
 
 
 
RGN Date: 13-08-2025 
1Added by W. P. Ordinance No. XLVII of 1959, s. 2 (shall always be deemed to have been added).