*Centre sends 8 NDRF teams, 6 helicopters
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Sept 6: In a major relief for Jammu and Kashmir, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today authorized the State Government to utilize Rs 1100 crores worth State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) to help the people badly hit by worst rains and floods in the State in past 50 to 60 years and assured Chief Minister Omar Abdullah that the Centre was ready to extend any kind of help sought by him.
During his one day tour of Jammu and Kashmir along with Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Officer Dr Jitendra Singh to assess the situation arising out of devastating rains and flood in the State for the past five days, which had taken toll of over 160 lives so far, Rajnath announced that a ‘Group of Ministers’ will be deputed to the State as soon as situation improves to assess damage caused to infrastructure, lives lost and loss of civilian property and crops etc and take the State Government view to provide further help.
Describing Jammu and Kashmir as “crown of India’’, Rajnath Singh, flanked by Jitendra Singh, declared that the Centre would extend all possible help sought by the State to deal with the natural calamity, provide relief and rehabilitation to the people and rebuild the infrastructure.
He announced ex-gratia relief of Rs 2 lakh each to next of kin of those killed in rains and floods and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. This relief would be in addition to the ex-gratia to be given to the flood victims by the State Government.
Rajnath said eight teams of National Disaster Responder Force (NDRF) have reached Jammu and Kashmir to rescue the people from flood ravaged villages. While six NDRF teams had reached the State till yesterday, two others reached this morning and immediately took up the task of rescuing civilians from flood hit areas.
He said six helicopters have been sent to Jammu and Kashmir for assisting the State administration in its efforts to rescue and evacuate people stranded in various submerged areas of the State.
The Home Minister told the reporters that the State Government has Rs 1100 crores worth funds in the SDRF (90 per cent share of which belonged to the Centre and 10 per cent of the State Government). “We have authorized the State to use the SDRF funds for relief and rehabilitation measures of the flood affected people,’’ he said, adding “in addition to this also, the Centre was ready to extend any kind of help the State asks for from the Government of India’’.
Dr Jitendra Singh asked the State Government to direct Principal Resident Commissioner (PRC) of J&K in New Delhi to co-ordinate with him in the PMO for any kind of help the State Government required from the Centre and assured that the request would be conceded immediately. He said the Resident Commissioner could act as mediator between J&K Government and the Centre.
Jitendra said after the flood water recedes, the State Government should also gear up its machinery to cope up with water borne diseases.
While Rajnath and Jitendra couldn’t undertake aerial survey of flood hit areas in Kashmir due to bad weather, they surveyed the areas affected by floods in Jammu this afternoon as weather had improved slightly here. In the Valley, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah drove Rajnath and Jitendra in his vehicle to flood affected areas of Srinagar to see the havoc caused by the rains.
The trip went round different parts of Srinagar for about half an hour to assess the damage. In Jammu, the Union Ministers conducted extensive aerial survey of flood ravaged areas up to Akhnoor sector and lauded the help being provided to the civilians by Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) apart from other agencies.
Rajnath described the rains and floods in Jammu and Kashmir as “worst in the last 50-60 years’’ and assured the Government that as soon as the weather improved he would send a delegation of Ministers to the State to take exact stock of damage and help required by the State to rebuild damaged infrastructure.
“The State Government can give a detailed presentation to the Ministerial delegation of people killed and injured due to floods, damage caused to civilian property and infrastructure and total amount required to help the people and rebuild the infrastructure,’’ Rajnath said.
He said he was apprised by the State Government that several villages have submerged in the flood waters while many others were still cut off as the helicopters were unable to take off due to adverse weather conditions.
Earlier, Rajnath Singh met 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 in Srinagar.
“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 after the tour of Srinagar City and assured the Chief Minister that the Centre stands firmly behind the State Government at this crucial hour.
Singh also asked the State Government to send a memorandum on the damage incurred during the floods, once the situation eases so that the Centre could provide help to the State.
On their arrival in Srinagar, Rajnath and Jitendra went straight into a meeting with the Chief Minister in the technical area of the airport where they discussed steps to meet the situation arising out of the worst floods in the State in six decades that have claimed over 160 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 said at the 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. He 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.
Later, speaking to media persons at Technical Airport in Jammu, Rajnath Singh flanked by Jitendra Singh, said ,” Jammu and Kashmir is the crown of this country with which we have an emotional cord.”
“We will ask other States also to help Jammu and Kashmir in this hour of grief,” he said.
On the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage, the Home Minister said the Divisional Commissioner Jammu has informed him that the pilgrimage will resume as soon as weather improves.
“Nearly 2,500 villages are affected and 450 submerged in the flood waters. The State Government has to ensure that no epidemic breaks out after the water starts receding,” he said.
The Home Minister said medical assistance has to be provided to affected population.
“We want to see the state vibrant and prosperous,” he said.
Meanwhile, replying to questions by the media persons, Rajnath Singh said India may resort to “alternative steps” if negotiations with neighbours on incursions did not yield fruitful results.
Singh was asked about incursions by Chinese Army in Leh area to which he replied that incursions were happening earlier also.
“Our jawans are guarding our borders and there will be no let up in the vigil. The Government wants to resolve all issues with its neighbours through dialogue and wants peaceful and cordial relation with them but alternative steps can be taken if they don’t believe in negotiations,” Singh said without specifying the neighbouring country.
Jammu and Kashmir has seen incursions from Pakistan as well as China.
When asked whether the Centre and the State are on confrontational path following a resolution passed by the State Legislative Assembly seeking resumption of dialogue with Pakistan, the Home Minister said there is no confrontation and the Centre and State have cordial relations.
Recently, PLA personnel entered Charding Nilu Nullah Junction in Demchok sector on their vehicles claiming it to be Chinese territory.
The PLA soldiers who wanted to have a round of the area were stopped by the Indian Army and personnel of Indo Tibetan Border Police, a force which guards the India-China border.
After a 30-minute long stand-off followed by a banner drill where Armies of both the countries warned each other against moving a step forward, the PLA personnel returned to their side, the sources said.
On the western front, Pakistan troops had recently violated the ceasefire by targeting Indian forward posts with small arms and automatic weapons along the LoC.
With speculation of BJP being invited to form Government in Delhi being rife, Rajnath said a call will be taken once formal proposal is received from Delhi Lt Governor Nujeeb Jung even as he dismissed any attempt to form Government by poaching MLAs of other parties.
The Home Minister said Delhi Lt Governor is free to call any party for Government formation and BJP is the single largest party.
“If invited we will think about it. BJP does not believe in horse-trading. BJP will never favour a Government with horse-trading,” Singh said.
BJP is likely to be invited to form a Government in Delhi with Jung sending a report to President Pranab Mukherjee seeking permission to call the single largest party to take a shot at power though it is well short of majority in the Assembly.
In his report, Jung gave a detailed analysis of the political situation in the city and underlined the need to have an elected Government for Delhi which is under President’s rule since February 17 following resignation of AAP Government.
Meanwhile, Rajnath said the land for rehabilitation of displaced Kashmiri Pandits, who migrated from the Kashmir valley in the early 1990’s due to militancy, can be identified in one or two months.
“We are committed to the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits who have migrated from the valley. The State Government can start the process of identifying the land for their rehabilitation after the floods. They can identify land in one month or two months after dealing with floods,” he said in response to a question.
The Home Minister said the Central Government has already earmarked Rs 500 crore (in general budget) for rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley.
Asked whether it was proper to write a letter to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah asking him to identify land in the midst of floods, the Home Minister said there was nothing wrong in sending the letter as the process was initiated even before the State was hit by floods.
“The letter has gone in the normal course. The letter only means the process has begun,” he said.
The Home Minister yesterday asked the Jammu and Kashmir Government to identify “suitable land” for the rehabilitation of some three lakh Kashmiri Pandits who migrated from the Kashmir valley in the early 1990’s due to militancy.
The Narendra Modi Government has committed itself to the return of some 62,000 Kashmiri Pandit families with “full dignity” to their homes in the Valley and has earmarked Rs 500 crore for this in the 2014-15 Union budget.
PTI adds from New Delhi:
The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), headed by Cabinet Secretary Ajit Kumar Seth, tonight directed central agencies to provide all possible help to Jammu and Kashmir Government in rescue and relief of flood- affected people in the State.
The directive was given after an emergency meeting the NCMC held here to take stock of rescue and relief operations in J&K.
To coordinate efforts, round-the-clock control room is operational in the Home Ministry.
The Centre will provide all possible help to the State Government, an official spokesperson said.
The NCMC meeting was convened following a directive of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will visit the State and make an aerial survey of flood affected areas.
Floods in J&K have so far claimed 116 lives and the total number of villages affected is 2,325 out of which nearly 350 villages have been submerged.
Rescue and relief operations are in full swing.
Services of Army, Air Force, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been requisitioned.
22 IAF helicopters and 4 aircraft have been deployed for evacuating the marooned population and for providing necessary relief support, the spokesperson said.
130 Army columns (about 13,000) and 8 teams of NDRF with necessary equipment such as boats, satellite phones, life jackets etc. Are in position. These teams have so far rescued nearly 11,000 people.
In addition, services of Border Security Force (BSF) personnel have also been requisitioned wherever necessary.
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