Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 20: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has deputed Home Secretary Anil Goswami for detailed discussions of Rs 44,000 crores worth flood loss memo submitted by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to Singh while two high level Central teams headed by Joint Secretary Home M Gopal Reddy have sought sector wise complete details of the losses projected by the Government within the shortest possible time.
Official sources told the Excelsior that Goswami reached Srinagar, the summer capital of the State, this morning and would stay there for two days to discuss details of the memo submitted by the Chief Minister to Union Home Minister seeking special Central package to the tune of Rs 44,000 crores for rebuilding Government infrastructure and private property damaged in worst ever floods in first week of September.
Goswami met Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Rohit Kansal and other concerned Administrative Secretaries of various departments and reviewed with them the details of memo including methods used by the authorities for calculation of losses and project wise details of the damages. He also discussed with the administration the pace of relief and rehabilitation works.
He would have more meetings with senior functionaries of the administration tomorrow before returning to New Delhi.
Sources said two high level Central teams headed by MHA Joint Secretary M Gopal Reddy, which had three days visit to Jammu and Kashmir regions and on spot assessment of post-floods damages, have directed the concerned departments through the Deputy Commissioners to project detailed list of damages of every department and area instead of clubbing all the details so that the Government of India could have a better assessment of the damages.
According to sources, the team sent by Rajnath Singh, wanted not just sector wise damages but project and scheme wise losses to authenticate the losses. The teams have asked the Deputy Commissioners of flood affected areas to give complete picture of losses mentioning every project, scheme, bridges etc, total public property and all other details of the losses so that the teams of National Disaster Management go through them before taking a decision on measures to be taken by the Centre to rebuild Government infrastructure and compensate the people who have lost their houses and other property.
The team has asked the Deputy Commissioners and other Departments to prepare the details and send them through mail instead of holding two or three more rounds of the meetings as the Government of India wanted to take an early decision on the rebuilding process in the wake of an early winter.
“The Centre wants to start the rebuilding process for civilian losses well before the harsh winter sets in as it feels that the people required to be compensate for the flood damages within the shortest possible time while the re-construction of Government infrastructure can wait,’’ sources said.
They pointed out that the Central team was not completely satisfied with the projection of losses of some departments and raised series of clarifications, some of which were replied by the Deputy Commissioners. For rest of the clarifications, the team wanted them to be sent in detail to them through email.
According to sources, Reddy would compile a comprehensive report of damages for presentation to the Union Home Minister after receiving the requisite details from the Deputy Commissioners and other departments of the State Government.
It may be mentioned here that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had submitted a memo seeking special Central grants worth Rs 44,000 crores to Rajnath Singh last week for rebuilding damaged Government infrastructure, private property and other damages in the worst ever floods last month.
As National Disaster Management falls under the MHA, the Home Minister will take a final call on how to compensate Jammu and Kashmir in terms of flood losses. A decision will be taken after the special Central teams submit their report.
It may be mentioned here that the MHA had deputed two high level teams—one each to Jammu and Kashmir regions—to visit flood affected areas for their own assessment of the situation after submission of memo by the State Government.
The team, sent by the Central government to review the situation on ground, had met with Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey, Director General of Police K Rajendra Kumar, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Rohit Kansal and other senior officers of the administration before winding up their three days visit to Jammu and Kashmir regions.
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