Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, Sept 6: Ministers, leaders of various political parties and social activists continued their tour to flood affected areas to take the stock of the situation and supervise the relief and rescue operations.
Minister for PHE, Irrigation & Flood Control, Sham Lal Sharma today under took an extensive tour of the Jammu city to assess the situation arisen due to incessant rains and flash floods as well as consequent water logging in different low laying areas of the river Tawi.
Sham directed Food Control and other concerned departments to start the restoration work of the damaged protection bunds alongwith 4th bridge at Tawi River.
He said that the Government has given first priority to restoration of services and repair of public assets besides rehabilitation of the flood affected people. He also said that Government would take all necessary measures for providing relief to the flood hit families.
He directed the local administration to shift the affected people to safer shelters. The authorities were directed to concentrate their effects on the immediate rescue of the assessment of damages after the rescue operations are completed. He also inquired about the water level of flood water on the river Chenab, Basanter, Ujh, Kathua and Tawi and directed the officers to be in the State of preparedness and be vigilant in view of any eventuality so that the necessary steps can be taken at the earliest.
Sham expressed grief over the loss of lives and property due to heavy rain/floods in the State. He extended his sympathy to the bereaved families who lost nears and dears due to floods and mud slides caused by the heavy rainfall.
Minister for Housing, Horticulture and Culture, Youth Services and Sports, Raman Bhalla today conducted an extensive tour of Gangyal, Shanker Colony, Ekta Vihar, Bandurakh, Sainik Colony, Trikuta Nagar, Belicharna, Barjala, Raipur Satwari, Chandmari and other flood affected areas and assessed the damages caused due to flash floods and heavy rains.
In view of continuous rising of river Tawi water, Bhalla directed the Sub Division Magistrate and Tehsildar to accommodate flood hit families of Barjala, Raipur Satwari, Chandmari, Belicharana to safer place like Government Schools, Anganwari Centres, Multi Purpose Community Hall, etc to ensure their safety. He also directed them to provide free ration, meals and medicare services to the flood affected families.
Bhalla directed the officers to ensure proper arrangements for regular power supply, drinking water, shelter, ration meal, bedding, clothes at the place where flood hit families are accommodated.
Minister for Health & Medical Education, Taj Mohi-ud-Din today visited the flood affected areas of Boniyar and Uri.
The Minister visited the NS Bridge on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road which suffered damages yesterday. He directed the Army authorities to start restoration works on the bridge immediately so that traffic is resumed on the road.
The Minister also visited Boniyar and took stock of the damages caused due to floods. He directed the concerned officers to make the Boniyar-Trikanjan road pliable within a week’s time for which he asked them to use all the machinery available.
Mr. Taj asked the District administration to arrange tents for accommodating the victims who were rendered homeless due to floods.
Earlier, the Minister reviewed the situation arising out of floods at an officers meeting at Baramulla. He impressed upon the officers to gear up men and machinery and make themselves available to people in this hour of crisis.
BJP State President & MP, Jugal Kishore Sharma visited flood hit areas namely Jourian Camp, Mirpur Kouna Camp, Chak Sikander, Bhadwal, Indri, Garkhal to take stock of the situation arisen after the heavy rains and flash floods and make on the spot assessment of the problems being faced by the people there.
Mr Sharma, while expressing grave shock over the damages caused by these rains, said that the resultant floods have washed away everything. Houses, crops, roads and electric poles have been badly damaged. Many families have been rendered houseless and are facing number of problems. He said the Party is with the affected people in this hour of grief and assured that every effort will be made for the early relief and rehabilitation. He said that he himself is in constant touch with the concerned authorities and it is being impressed upon them that all the means should be utilized so that more and more areas are covered for helping the needy people.
Expressing gratitude to Narendra Modi led Government at the Centre for keeping eye on the situation and extending full co-operation to the State Government, he said that the joint efforts of the Central and State Government will prove to be more beneficial for the flood affected areas of the State.
He was accompanied by S. Charanjit Singh Khalsa, Chander Mohan Gupta, Daljit Singh, Chaman Lal Kanathia, Jai Singh, Dr. Krishan Lal, Jagdish Bhagat, Suraj Singh, Manmohan Singh, and other leaders of the party.
The Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats, Ali Mohammad Sagar today visited various areas of Budgam, Baramulla and outskirts of Srinagar city which include Mazahama, Kanihama, Magam, Beerwa, Kawoosa, Aru, Mirgund, Narbal, Singhpora, Mujgund, Pattan, Zanakote and took stock of the rescue and relief operations undertaken by the Government.
He was accompanied by the Deputy Commissioners of the three districts besides the officers of Irrigation and Flood Control, PHE, R&B, PDD, CA&PD, Health etc.
Mr. Sagar directed the officers to ensure that the safety of the people is ensured and the necessary steps are initiated to shift them to the safer places. He said that the Government has already put in place a mechanism by which the problems being faced by the masses are mitigated and in this regard several control rooms have also been established, which are functional round the clock.
Mr. Sagar directed the CA&PD officers to provide ration to the affected people.
Mr. Sagar directed the concerned officers to remain available to the people round the clock and monitor the situation on regular basis.
Minister for Forests, Mian Altaf accompanied by the Deputy Commissioner, Ganderbal and other senior officers of police and civil administration, today visited the flood affected areas of Ganderbal district and took stock of the situation.
While interacting with the people in the affected areas, the Minister assured them every possible help from the Government. He instructed the Deputy Commissioner to make available essential commodities to the people in all affected areas. He said safety of human lives should be the priority of the administration and directed the health authorities to ensure round the clock medical facilities in all health centres of the district during the prevailing situation.
The Minister for Agriculture, Ghulam Hassan Mir along with Chief Engineer R&B, Kashmir Sushil Razdan, Executive Engineers of Gulmarg Development Authority and Flood Control today inspected Kunzar and Sharaie Tumberhama bridges, where the approach roads of these bridges have been damaged due to flood. He instructed the officers that as soon as the weather condition improves, necessary construction, repairs may be carried out immediately as these vital bridges are only surface links to contact the huge population of Tangmarg with rest of Valley.
The Minister also visited flood hit areas of Treean, Check -Ferozpur, Ferozpora, Sharai, Chandial, Wanigam besides a dozen of flood affected villages and took stock of situation arisen after devastating flood. He directed the authorities of Revenue Department to assess the damages caused to property and crops without any delay so that necessary compensation is provided to the affected families.
BJP leader Yudhvir Sethi accompanied by Govind Sarin today visited Peer Kho, Gujjar Nagar and Goswami Mohalla to assess the damage caused due to incessant rains and flash floods in the area.
He demanded that immediate relief be given to the affected people. Sethi and other volunteers of the Party assisted people in shifting their goods to safer places to save them from further damage by the flood waters.
Assuring all help and assistance to the people, He appealed his Partymen in the area to extend every sort of help to flood hit people. He said BJP will provide every sort of help to the affected people at Party level while the Union Government has already assured all help and assistance to State Government.
Executive member newly formed People’s Republican Party (PRP) and senior Trade Unionist, Mir Ghulam Rasool Butwani who visited the flood hit areas of Sherpathri demanded eviction of people of the area to safer places. Terming situation totally grim in the area he said 24 villages of Sher Pathri including Rabitar, Athkhur, Kurug, Gogji Gund,and various other villages have been hit by floods. He said these all villages have submerged into the flood waters of river Jehlum and river Sindh flowing around them and up to one story residential houses are in flood water.
He said the administration has failed to launch relief and rescue operations and people are facing scarcity of ration and drinking water. He demanded that army be pressed in service for relief and rescue operations as people have lost their faith in civil administration and rescue operations be started on war footing in this belt.
Mir, who was accompanied by Party activists including Abdul Razak Dar, Mushtaq Dar, Abdul Rashid Mir and Abdul Rehman Ganai demanded immediate issuance of tents for the affected people for their temporary rehabilitation.
Team of volunteers of Civil Defence Jammu,under the supervision of Tajinder Kaur,Deputy Controller Civil Defense,Jammu visited different flood effected localities of Jammu. The volunteers made possible the smooth flow of traffic on Tawi bridge, Gujjar Nagar bridge, where people along with their vehicle had made bee line to see the flood havoc. The Civil Defence team also visited the bund side of Belicharana area along the river Tawi and the side of Har ki Pori near Bahufort to make the people of the area aware about the safety measures to be taken in case of any eventuality. Jugis on the bank of river Tawi were washed away had the inmates not been convinced to move to safer places.
The team under the supervision of Deputy Controller civil defence comprises of Santosh Mangotra its Chief.
Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) National general secretary and Member Parliament Rajya Sabha, Narinder Kashyap is on the tour of Jammu and Kashmir to take the stock of the situation of the people of the State affected due to heavy rain and flash floods.
After holding meeting of the Executive body and Party workers from different parts of the State Kashyap said that more than 72 people were washed away in the floods and property worth crores of rupees have been damaged. Connectivity of a large number of villages has been affected in the State.
He also visited some of the villages situated on the bank of the Jammu Tawi and met the people affected by the flood and expressed all sympathies with them besides ensuring physical and moral support by his Party cadres at this hour of natural calamity.
Mr. Kashyap appealed to the Central Government to declare the floods in the State a natural calamity and immediately steps be taken to resettle the affected people and special package be given to them. Avtar Singh Krimpuri MP Rajya Sabha, Ch. Gurnam Co-ordinator, State president Tulsi Das Langeh, vice president Rattan Lal Chargotra, Rattan Bhagat and Pawan Kundal advocate and spokesman BSP were present.
Ghulam Nabi Monga MLC, Vice President J&K Pradesh Congress Committee accompanied by Mir Mushtaq Nowsherry district President visited various flood effected areas in district Baramulla, during his tour to
Baramulla. Mr Monga expressed serious concern over the loss of precious lives and property due to floods.
MLA Inderwal, Ghulam Mohammad Saroori today said that due to continuous rainfall people in village Painalla in Inderwal Constituency were facing a threat of landslide and flood.
Taking note of the people problems Saroori telephonically directed the Tehsildar Thathri Mohsin Ali, Tehsildar Drabshallah Niaz Ahmed Wani and SHO Drabshalla to immediately launch the rescue operation in Painalla.
Later Police in collaboration with civil administration have launched rescue operation at Painalla and five families having 18 members have been shifted to Dak Bungalow Thathri on the direction of MLA. Ration and other necessary amenities have been provided to the sufferers by CAPD Thathri. Mr. Saroori haa assured all possible help to the victims of this Natural disaster.
Surjit Singh Slathia, former Minister and sitting MLA from Vijaypur Assembly Segment today visited the flood affected areas of his Constituency to take stock of the situation. During his tour to the flood affected areas in the Kandi belt as well as border areas he interacted with the locals and assured them of all possible help.
He said that he will ask the administration to assess the actual loss of the flood victims and will take up the matter with the Chief Minister so that they may be compensated. He also appealed the public to take precautionary measures and stay away from the flooded nallahs and khads to avert any tragedy till the weather gets clear.
The areas in Kandi belt he visited include Barjani Talab, Gurha, Gurgi, Badhori, Rahya, Rajinder Singh Pura and various villages in border belt.
The Central Government has decided to help the Jammu and Kashmir Government in its rescue and relief efforts and this is a very welcome step at this juncture, BJP leader Kavinder Gupta said this while addressing a press conference along with State general secretary Bali Bhagat and State spokesperson Balbir Ram Rattan.
“Kavinder Gupta said that the massive floods that have hit several districts of the State have left many people totally destitute and with the help from the Central Government, the State Government will be able to launch their rehabilitation measures. Since the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) columns which have been rushed to Jammu and Kashmir are trained to deal with calamities, they will be able to come to the rescue of the affected people in a more effective manner, he added.
In order to help the flood hit and stranded people in Kashmir Valley people and the Prohit Sabha Martand ahs opened a free langer at Tirath Raj Mattan for the people. It has also shifted some flood hit employees from Khanbal and other places in the Shrine at Mattan.
The Sabha president, M K Yogi said that all steps will be taken to provide assistance to the flood hit people by the Sabha.
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