JOIN USEven as continuing floods and heavy rain compound the troubles of people in Jammu and Kashmir, affected by the worst flash floods in six decades, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh discussed the ways to handle the crisis with chief minister Omar Abdullah.
The home minister arrived here on Saturday morning to personally review the situation and was apprised by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on the rescue and relief operations currently on.
The home minister assured all possible help from the Union government in rescue efforts and rehabilitation of the affected people.
“Wherever you need Central assistance, we will be providing you,” he told Omar, adding that a comprehensive memorandum of losses be preferred to the Government of India as soon as possible.
Inclement weather, however, prevented the home minister from an aerial survey of the affected areas in the valley.
Rajnath, who later visited Jammu, said eight teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are currently carrying out rescue and relief operations.
“Twenty-five thousand villages have been affected and over 450 submerged, besides 107 people have also lost their lives in the flash floods,” Rajnath told reporters here.
Critical condition
Describing the condition in many sectors critical, Rajnath said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while expressing sympathies for the affected people, has also promised all help from the Union government to Jammu and Kashmir in this hour of crisis.
“The prime minister has announced Rs 2 lakh ex gratia for the next of kin of those who had lost their lives and Rs 50,000 to those injured,” the home minister said.
Though he was unable to take an aerial survey of the affected areas, Rajnath said he had visited many inundated areas in Srinagar to observe the extent of damage and to assess the troubles of residents.
However, he said he managed to take an aerial survey of Jammu, where he described the situation in many areas, including the Akhnoor sector, as critical.
He said six helicopters have been sent to the state for assisting the administration in its efforts to rescue people stranded in many inundated parts. Flood situation in the state has worsened in the last three days as several rivers have been flowing above the danger mark, and most parts of south Kashmir, including Pulwama, Anantnag and Kulgam district have been submerged.