Srinagar: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday met Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah here and took stock of the flood situation but could not conduct an aerial survey of the affected areas due to inclement weather.
Omar himself drove the Home Minister and Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh around the waterlogged roads of Srinagar city which has been witnessing incessant rains over the past five days along with the rest of the state.
“The floods have caused a lot of damage. If this is the condition of city, what will be the situation in rural areas. I was told that this has happened after 50-60 years,” said Rajnath Singh who assured the Chief Minister that the Centre stands firmly behind the state government at this crucial hour.
He said that an inter-ministerial team will be sent to assess the damage in the state and that J-K can use Rs 1,100 crore of State Disaster Relief Fund to deal with the calamity.
“The helicopter could not take off because of bad weather. So I went with the Chief Minister around the city,” Singh, who arrived this morning, said before heading for Jammu.
“No politics should be played at this hour. After the water recedes, an inter-ministerial team will be sent to assess the damage. PM has given Rs two lakh to the kin of every person killed in the floods. I have told the state government to utilise Rs 1,100 crore of State Disaster Relief Fund which has 90 per cent of grant from the Centre,” Singh told reporters here.
Singh also asked the state government to send a memorandum on the damage incurred during the floods, once the situation eases.
Accompanied by Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh, the Home Minister arrived this morning and went straight into a meeting with the Chief Minister in the technical area of the airport where both discussed steps to meet the situation arising out of the worst floods in the state in six decade that have claimed 100 lives so far.
“Wherever you need central assistance, we will be providing you. Funds will not be a constrain in the relief and rehabilitation of the affected people,” Rajnath Singh said at a review meeting to assess the flood situation in the state.
The meeting was attended by Omar and several of his cabinet colleagues and senior officials from the state government.
The Home Minister asked Omar to take steps on war-footing for providing relief to the people. Omar told the Home Ministry that the top most concern of the state government is to ensure safety of human lives and evacuate the population trapped in submerged areas.
He said the as soon as the water recedes, state government will carry out the assessment of losses.
Omar added that huge losses have been caused to paddy and fruit crops.
The Chief Minister also said that there is heavy damage to public infrastructure and private property besides residential houses.
The Chief Minister briefed Singh on rescue efforts saying Army, NDRF, state police and civil administration are working in tandem to help the marooned population.
Commissioner Secretary Revenue and Relief Vinod Koul said there was an urgent need for 25,000 tents and 40,000 blankets.
He said 390 villages have been submerged in the Valley while 1225 are partially affected.
He said in Jammu Division 1000 villages have been affected by the flood waters.
The Commissioner said 50 bridges and hundreds of kilometers of roads besides power installations and PHE schemes have been damaged due to flood and rains.
Jitendra Singh asked the state government officials to coordinate with resident commissioner of the state government in Delhi for relief material like tents, blankets and medicine.
“The relief material will be airlifted from Delhi as soon as the state government submits its requirements,” he said. (PTI)
