The protesting lawmakers raised slogans against the government
The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly witnessed violence over the ongoing flood relief operations in the Valley with the Opposition accusing the government of providing very little relief to those affected.
The Opposition charge was led by the National Conference, Congress and an independent lawmaker Rashid. They raised slogans against the government. The protesting lawmakers later marshalled out of the House and it had to be adjourned for 10 minutes.
Heavy rains over the weekend led to water level in River Jhelum crossing the danger mark late on Sunday. The state government issued a flood alert on Monday, causing worry and panic.
Though the rain stopped yesterday, fresh showers this morning again raised fears of flooding in the state and capital Srinagar. The Meteorological Department has predicted that the Kashmir valley would receive heavy rains today.
A total of 16 people have been killed in the past few days, mostly in building collapses triggered by mudslides.
After issuing the flood alert, the government evacuated around 300 families out of low lying areas. Twenty relief camps had also been established, and military help has been sought to deal with the situation. The armed forces, with four helicopters, have been put on short notice to respond in case the situation worsens. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force are also working in Srinagar.
The central government has granted Rs. 200 crore as immediate relief, and the state government has sanctioned Rs. 25 crore for Kashmir and Rs. 10 crore for the Jammu region.
The Kashmir Valley had been ravaged by severe floods in September 2014, the worst of their kind in a century, claiming 250 lives and leaving thousands homeless ahead of the severe winter.
This year, in large parts of India, March has been the wettest month in more than a century, wrecking millions of hectares of winter crops.