The oath administered to soldiers when they wear the olive green for the first time in life, binds them to protect the country from external aggression and internal calamities. True to their professional commitment, all the three wings of our defence forces, army, navy and air force, have swung into action to fight the fury of nature and rescue the stranded civilians in the gushing floods that have inundated large parts of both Kashmir valley and Jammu region. Torrential and continual rains for five days wrought havoc to the entire State sending its rivers, nullahs, streams and other water bodies into massive spate with water breaking the embankments, bridges, culverts and devastating villages, hamlets, uprooting trees and turning fields with standing crops into a vast ocean. About 300 people are reported to have perished in the flash floods and some are missing. Habitats turned into islands and people got stranded in their houses. In valley, denizens rushed to the third storey in the hope that they would escape death. People in Kashmir said that this devastation is unprecedented and at places the level of water rose by no less than 18 feet. It is indeed tsunami.
Though the army got alerted as early as September 2, but on finding that the rains were not stopping it decided to come out for rescue operations. The Prime Minister visited the vast flood affected areas of the two provinces of the State and finding the situation grim, he pronounced it national calamity. Along with that, orders went out to the defence forces to undertake massive rescue operation in respective areas and leave no stone unturned to save the beleaguered civilian population. The Chief of the Army General Suhag and the Commander of the Northern Command made aerial survey of the situation and issued orders to field commanders to undertake all rescue preparations. With this order, the entire defence establishment from Delhi to Northern Command in Udhampur swung into massive operation. The jawans of army staked their precious lives and undertook even the most hazard adventure to save the civilians who were almost drawn out from the clutches of death. The jawans in Poonch, Rajouri, Akhnur, Srinagar, Pulwama and any other sectors got engaged in massive rescue operations. Even some of the border security force jawans on duty had to be evacuated because their posts were threatened by flood.
The army has deployed 220 columns spread out to all places where floods are in fury and people are still stranded seeking rescue. Apart from army, India Air Force and Navy have also swung into action. Navy has sent commando divers who are ready to take any risk to save the people with their life boats. Thousands of stranded people have so far been air lifted.
Scores of choppers and other air force planes are in action to lift the stranded people or save the threatened people. Air lifting of packed ration, medicines, drinking water and other necessaries is in massive operation from Chandigarh, Sarsawa, Agra and other air bases. Rescue and relief aircrafts are making innumerable sorties to lift stranded people and to drop essential commodities like water and medicines and biscuits to the beleaguered people.
According to the statements of senior army and air force officers so far 83 tonnes of emergency ration, 3,000 blankets, and 45,000 liters of drinking water, 1,000 life jackets and 220 tents have been airlifted from Chandigarh, Pathankot and Kanpur. The army has distributed 23,000 liters of water and 600 kgs of biscuits in the flood affected areas along with 4,000 blankets and 80 tents. Army spokesman said that 85 tonnes of medicines have been air lifted and 16 relief camps are being set up in different parts of the state. Army has opened large scale relief camps at Avantipora and Anantnag in South Kashmir where floods have caused large scale disaster. In relief work defence establishment is working in close liaison with the civilian Government. However, in rescuing people from getting washed down by the gushing waters, the local army units with all their paraphernalia are struggling hard minute by minute and hour by hour to save and evacuate people and put them up in relief camps. Even the Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar has been turned into a relief camp and the services of 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar are being utilized for the affected people. The army has deployed 65 medical teams and 15 Engineer Task Forces to grapple with the situation. While further threat of rising waters has abated in Jammu region, but the valley is still faced with serious threat. However favourable weather during last 2 days has helped rescue teams to conduct their operations on a large scale. The biggest difficulty faced by rescuing teams is that telecommunication system has collapsed in the valley and it is difficult to monitor the progress of rescue teams.
The floods that have inundated the city of Srinagar and taken a heavy toll of life and property are unprecedented in human memory. But even in a situation of fury let lose by nature, the Indian armed forces, all the three wings, have swung into action and accepted the challenge of devastating nature. This is a glaring example of how dedicated our jawans are in defending the country from external aggression and internal calamities both happening in J&K. As days go by, the stories of heroic deeds of Indian jawans, airmen and marines will be told by the media and the people themselves. This enormous rescue and relief campaign shows that Indian army is a national army in real sense. It is an army of peace because India is a country of peace. It puts everything at stake when the question of security and rescue of her citizens is there. In fact our defence forces have shown that they are prepared to face any eventuality man made or nature made. That is why we call it the world’s most disciplined army.
Indian army jawans have made tremendous sacrifices in Jammu and Kashmir for last sixty-seven years keeping the enemy at bay as it wanted to grab the land by means fair or foul. By their onerous example, Indian army has proved that it is firm believer in the ideal that the State of J&K belongs to its people and that the army will defend their right to be masters of their land and not allow our adversaries to exploit any situation for drawing mileage out of it.
The water in over flowing streams will recede in next couple of days. Army will continue to provide whatever succor it can as per the directions of the Army Chief and conditions will limp back to normalcy. With that the grateful people of the State and especially of the valley will long remember enormous humanitarian service rendered by the Indian army to save the lives of stranded people, to provide relief to the needy and to mitigate the suffering of the flood sufferers. Army’s work will not end with the receding waters. They have to be by the side of the people of the State in thick and thin. The grateful people of the State salute the jawans of Indian army and take full pride in their heroism and dedication.
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