Women and the elderly being evacuated from a flooded neighbourhood in Srinagar (Associated Press photo)
Hundreds of people trapped in floods-ravaged Jammu and Kashmir with some left marooned on rooftops and others clinging to trees are in dire need of water and food. (
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"We want food and water urgently. Please save us," pleaded Meena Ahmed, who along with her family members is stranded in Qayoom Colony in Rawalpora for the past five days.
Over 4000 people, who have been rescued from Shiv Pora, Indra Nagar, Batwara and Jawahir Nagar areas and put up at Zeisht Devi area, have been facing starvation. Over 70 medical students are trapped in a hostel in Batmaloo area and sought help of Indian Air Force.
Nearly 60 people trapped at Hari Prabat hill in the city are also making frantic calls for food and water.
"We want water and food. We will die here. Please ask IAF choppers to drop some food packets here," one of trapped persons S Lala said.
Tasleema Shafi, along with three of her family members, is desperately seeking help from Army and IAF for rescuing them from near Madina Masjid in Hazratbal area, where nearly three floors of her house are submerged. (
SOS messages from those stranded)
While the Army, Air Force and NDRF personnel are out to aid those stranded, residents lament that no one from the state administration or local bodies could be seen in their hour of grief.
"We appreciate the work done by NDRF and other forces but it is evident they are clueless in these areas as they are new to the state," an angry resident said.
"This problem could be solved by deploying a state police jawan or any other official on the boat who is aware about the area and could direct the help to the most needy areas. But it (state administration) is nowhere," he claimed.
His view was echoed by a resident of the Dal lake area who said he put together an improvised boat to escape the flood waters and reach to a safer area.
"I do not know where my state government and local administration are? No one is reaching for help in many areas...I saw that myself...my friends who are safe now also told me this. I rowed my own boat to escape," the young man said.
Click here for information on missing peopleThe Navy has sent another unit of its elite Marine Commandos to Srinagar where they will be using their high-tech boats to reach out to people stranded in houses.
The team includes more than 10 commandos along with their assault boats, compressors and satellite phones, Navy spokesperson Captain DK Sharma said.
The MARCOS are deployed in the Wular lake in Jammu and Kashmir to carryout anti-terrorist operations there due to their expertise in diving and marine operations.
The Navy had deployed two of its teams earlier near Srinagar and they have now been inducted for operations inside the city.