Stranded tourists being evacuated in Srinagar on September 11. (Press Trust of India Photo)
With the weather condition improving in Jammu and Kashmir, rescue and relief operations resumed in flood-hit areas of the state. All the air operations were halted earlier today because of the rain, triggering panic among the residents. Officials say over 200 people have been killed in the worst floods in the state in over a century; about 1.5 lakh are still stranded.
Here are the latest developments in this story:
"As the weather has improved, the aerial rescue and relief operations have begun again after a halt," an official said. The weather department has forecast that Srinagar will witness light rain tomorrow.
The aerial operations which begin at day break and continue till sunset are the only method of carrying supplies and ferrying the stranded people to safer places.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has asked its employees to immediately report back to their offices or face action. Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khanday told the employees that they needed to help mitigate the problems caused by the unprecedented floods.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah held an all-party meeting in Srinagar on Saturday to assess the situation. The meeting was attended by PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti, Congress leader Saifuddin Soz and BJP's Jugal Kishore and others, and a joint appeal was issued to individuals as well as organizations within and outside the state to help affected people "in every possible way."
Receding water in many areas is now beginning to reveal the real extent of the devastation. "Srinagar has drowned completely, it's unrecognisable. Almost everything is in ruins, it is just unimaginable," a State Disaster Response Force official said.
The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remained closed for the tenth consecutive day on Saturday due to landslides and sinking of road at various places. However, educational institutions in Jammu, except those serving as relief camps for flood-affected people, reopened after almost a week.
Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said yesterday that mobile services are either substantially or partially restored in all parts of the Valley, except Poonch. He also announced that people in the state can talk for free for a week on state-run BSNL network. Private operators have also allowed 60 minutes free talk time per day, he said.
The state government on Friday announced financial and other assistance for those hit by the disaster including a 200 crore package for both the Jammu region and the Kashmir valley. The chief minister also said the government would supply free ration to those affected for six months.
The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to inform it on Monday about the steps being taken to accelerate rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations. It also asked the government to consider setting up a unified agency to coordinate relief work.
As the flood waters receded in Srinagar and other towns in the Valley, civil and military rescue personnel were expediting efforts to reach out to those still stranded since torrential rains pounded the state on September 2. One lakh 42 thousand people have been rescued so far.
Post a comment