Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 16: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today released another installment of Rs 200 crores-Rs 100 crores each for Jammu and Kashmir divisions-to give boost to relief and rehabilitation measures initiated by the administration in flood ravaged areas of the State even as Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was thrown open this morning by the Army and BRO personnel after closure of 12 days while Rajouri was linked to Reasi district with the construction of bailey bridge at Kotranka.
Meanwhile, Indian Air Force (IAF) today completed Phase-I of `Operation Rahat’ by stopping air sorties from Jammu air base for relief and rescue mission in different parts of Jammu and Kashmir including Srinagar, official sources said. The operations had been launched 24×7 on September 8 and ended late last night. Now, the air sorties will be taken out only in case of emergency from Jammu.
The Ministry of Defence had ordered IAF to launched relief and rescue operation in Jammu and Kashmir at large scale to ensure that stranded persons are cleared and relief is provided to the people trapped in their houses and relief camps, sources said, adding the relief and rescue operation were halted this morning after Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was thrown open for traffic after 12 days of closure while Mughal Road linking Rajouri-Poonch with Shopian was restored for traffic yesterday. The Valley has already been connected with Kishtwar via Sinthan Pass and Leh-Manali via Zojila tunnel.
During nine days long `Operation Rahat’, the IAF flew various fleets of choppers and aircrafts rescuing several people trapped in water, provided relief at camps and houses and evacuated Jammu based employees, tourists etc.
Official sources told the Excelsior that Omar released Rs 100 crores each for Jammu and Kashmir divisions after a high level review of the situation by him in a meeting of civil administration. This would further boost the relief and rehabilitation measures for flood affected families and provide immediate ex-gratia to kin of dead and injured and damaged houses.
“The funds have been kept at the disposal of Divisional Commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir respectively and they will further distribute them to the Deputy Commissioners as per the requirement,” they said, adding that more funds would be released by the Government when these funds are exhausted.
The multi-disciplinary teams constituted to assess losses due to the flood are working actively and pumps have been put up at various places to drain out stagnant water from the Srinagar city, source said.
Omar, who is monitoring relief and rehabilitation operations, has directed the administration for close coordination among critical departments of SMC, Flood Control, UEED, ERA and Fire and Emergency Services for ensuring speedy relief and rehabilitation of the flood victims.
He also directed to go for even controlled cuts to drain out the stagnant water, besides deploying maximum dewatering pumps. He asked the Chief Secretary to streamline the mechanism of loss assessment. He appealed to the insurance companies to depute their teams immediately to flood affected areas to settle the claims.
Sources said 100 tonnes of food grains have been supplied to Srinagar and Budgam districts during the past two days by the CAPD, besides 400 tonnes and 150 tonnes food grains have been distributed in Anantnag, Pulwama and adjoining areas respectively.
About 162 LPG trucks have also been made available in Srinagar and adjacent areas in the last two days and work is on to replenish petrol supply in the valley.
According to sources, nearly 40 lakh chlorine tablets have reached the Valley and the Chief Minister directed that these tablets should be distributed along with the relief material through CAPD, NDRF and other teams to all places. Likewise, nine lakh chlorine tablets have already been distributed in the flood affected areas, the spokesman said.
The meeting was apprised that Bone and Joint Hospital in Barzulla, Rainwari Hospital and SKIMS, Soura have resumed services. The SKIMS, Bemina which has been inundated will be made partially functional in a couple of days after water is drained out.
Meanwhile, in a boost to relief efforts in the flood-ravaged Kashmir Valley, the 300-kilometers long Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was today thrown open for traffic after massive efforts put in by Army and BRO personnel after closure of 12 days due to landslides triggered by incessant rains at Ramsu, about 172 kilometers from here.
The Engineers of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and Army restored the vital road link after working day and night for 12 days. About 200 meters road had to be re-aligned due to extensive damage caused to the road, sources said.
Sources said multiple landslides were cleared with simultaneous deployment of engineers and specialist equipment coordinated by the Chief Engineer of Northern Command Headquarters of the Army based at Udhampur to restore this vital road.
On the intervening night of September 2 and 3, a five-km road patch was washed way in flash floods besides multiple landslides, sinking of road and flooding at various places in Ramban district.
“The Highway has presently been reopened for only Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) “, sources said.
Over 3000 to 4000 vehicles, particularly trucks carrying supplies had been stranded on the Highway.
Earlier, the Military Engineers had restored the land link to flood-hit Kashmir Valley from Ladakh side on September 9 and cleared Sinthan Pass route via Kishtwar on September 13 linking Kashmir with Ladakh and Kishtwar respectively. Yesterday, Mughal Road was re-opened linking twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch with the Valley.
“The major impediment to opening the NH was a massive landslide at Ramsu near Ramban, where over 300 meters of road had been entirely washed away leaving a sheer cliff of 80 degrees slope,” sources said.
They said the entire hillside had to be excavated afresh and the effort had to be further intensified due to a repeated landslide on September 12.
“Undeterred, the engineers worked night and day to make a new passage through the mountain slope. Work is now on to construct a new bridge over Ans River near Budhal, which will be completed in two days while several Army bridges have already been constructed and over 40 landslides cleared expeditiously by the Sappers (as Military Engineers are called),” the spokesman said.
He said clearance of remaining debris and slush on several roads in the State continues in an effort to improve traffic movement on all road links in the State.
Sources said Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, which was reopened today for traffic after remaining closed for 13-days, will be one way for first two days to boost the relief efforts in the flood-ravaged Valley.
“Only relief and essential commodities carrying vehicles shall be allowed to ply from Jammu to Srinagar on first 2 days i.e. from September 16 to 17”, sources said.
Only passenger vehicles will ply from Srinagar to Jammu, for first day on September 19, sources said, adding that similarly, for next 2 days i.e. September 19 and 20, the traffic will ply from Jammu to Srinagar.
“No extra heavy vehicles i.e. multi-axial vehicles, trailers and trucks carrying non essential commodities/material shall ply on the National Highway till the situation gets normal and better”, sources said.
However, Light Motor vehicles (LMVs) shall be allowed to ply from Jammu to Srinagar through Kishtwar-Sinthantop road without any restriction during this period.
Meanwhile, Army has constructed bailey bridge at Kotranka to link Rajouri and Reasi after the main bridge washed away in the floods, PRO Defence Jammu Col Manish Mehta said.
The existing bridge of 1992 vintage which was washed away due to onslaught of voluminous water carnage at Kotranka had destroyed the only road communication of approximately 75000 people residing in 51 villages of the region. Indirectly the calamity had affected 1.3 lakh population distributed in both the districts. In the absence of a plan for rehabilitation from the district and State Government, the Army planned to open the lines of communication as first requirement of the State.
Immediately the Engineer Regiment swung into action who ascertained the space gap of 180 feet for bridging at site. During the past four days Engineer Task Force deployed at location cleared the abutment and prepared the bridge area for clear launch of the bridge while separate taskforces were earmarked to consolidate bridging stores from all corners of the state. This included transportation of stores from Akhnoor and Udhampur, Col Mehta said. Some critical stores were also retrieved from redundant bridges of old National highway at Panjgrain near Nagrota. In the ensuring operations two Jawans of the unit lost portions of their finger, the Army official said but added that they have succeeded in linking two important districts.
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