Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 30: The Legislative Assembly today witnessed minor uproar during Question Hour over floods in Kashmir while former Chief Minister and NC Legislature Party leader Omar Abdullah asserting that there should be no politics over the flood situation and everyone should play its role to help the people in this hour of crisis.
As soon as the Assembly resumed its sitting for the day, all members of NC and Congress joined by CPM MLA MY Tarigami and Independent Engineer Rashid were on their feet demanding Government statement on the floods and measures being taken to help the people.
Tarigami said the Government should launch operations to rescue and help the people on war footing.
Omar Abdullah and his senior party colleagues and Congress MLAs were on their feet demanding that the Government takes all possible measures to rescue the people and launch relief and other measures for them. They wanted to know what preemptive measures had been taken by the Government to meet with such a situation.
The members were pacified after Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh read out a detailed statement on the flood situation and steps being taken by the Government to help the people.
Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah asked the Centre what steps it was taking to help the State even as he accused the Narendra Modi Government of delaying rehabilitation of those hit by last year’s deluge.
The NC leader said people should not play politics over the flood situation and work to save the lives of the people.
“We don’t want to play politics on the situation. It has been only seven months and once again the people are face to face with another tragedy,” he said while speaking in the Assembly and later talking to reporters outside.
Omar wanted to know what steps have been taken by the Government to safeguard the life and property of the people who face another flood-like situation in the State.
He also wanted to know what the Centre was doing to help the State.
“This is a must to give some sort of satisfaction to the people,” he said.
He also accused the Centre of delaying release of relief package for the flood-hit people of Jammu and Kashmir.
The former Chief Minister said the Central Government cannot escape responsibility as his Government had sought to delay the elections and take care of the rehabilitation of the flood-hit people first.
“We had told them to first take care of rehabilitation of the flood-hit people but they went ahead with the elections first that hampered the rehabilitation work,” he said.
However, he said the situation was not that worst in the State this time following the incessant rains and hoped the weather would improve.
Omar said the Weather department has predicted that the weather would continue to remain bad in the next few days.
Seeking information from the Government, he said so far the information people have got was either from the Internet or newspapers.
“We come to know through newspapers and Internet, just want to know if it is true that NDRF team has reached Kashmir and whether dewatering pumps have been pressed into service,” he asked.
He also wanted to know the situation in hospitals as in the last floods most of the hospitals in the Kashmir valley were left defunct.
The NC leader said his party would extend all possible support to the State Government in dealing with the flood situation.
“Unlike how PDP politicized a natural calamity in September last year, NC will never play politics over humanitarian issues.
“We want the State Government to assure the people of this State that there is a concrete plan to deal with any eventualities in case of continued rainfall,” he said.
Omar also expressed grief over the loss of lives in Chadoora area of central Kashmir’s Budgam district due to a landslide.
“This is a shocking news and I cannot imagine the pain of the families of the victims. The State Government should ensure that the injured are given all possible medical assistance and ex-gratia compensation is announced to the families of the victims without any delay,” he said.
“Evacuations and relocation of locals as and where necessary should not be delayed,” Omar said.
Later, Omar visited Srinagar this afternoon and urged the State Government to take all possible measures to ensure prevention of loss to life and property in the Valley in the wake of flood situation.
“The administration should take all possible measures and work in close coordination with the locals to ensure that any loss to life and property is prevented at all costs,” Omar said.
He visited several areas of his Assembly constituency Beerwah and Srinagar to take stock of the flood situation.
Omar was accompanied by local party workers and senior citizens who apprised him of the problems they were facing due to the incessant rains that had inundated various areas and posed a threat to life and property, a party spokesman said.
“Locals informed the NC’s working president that despite their repeated attempts to reach the administration, no senior Government authority had visited the adversely affected areas,” the spokesman said.
Omar also asked the Government to ensure that embankments of Jhelum and its tributaries were monitored round-the-clock.
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