Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Sept 29: Congress President, Sonia Gandhi and Vice President, Rahul Gandhi today visited flood hit area of South and Central Kashmir and assured the people of their help to mitigate their problems.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his Cabinet colleagues along with some officials met the two Congress leaders. He briefed them about the devastation caused by the floods in the State and Government’s efforts to provide succor to the affected people.
The Congress Vice president promised full support to the flood-ravaged people of the State. “Congress party is with you. We will take up your issues with the Government and help you in whichever way we can,” Rahul told a gathering of flood affected at Dehruna village, 62 kilometers from Srinagar.
Rahul said the party shares the grief of the people and has been helping them since the floods hit the State.”Our organisation, including Congress party, Youth and Women Congress, NSUI, RGF and local leaders have been working here since the floods hit. It is a time of grief and we came here to see for ourselves the destruction caused by floods. We will visit other places as well,” he said in his address.
Sonia and Rahul were accompanied by senior party leaders including former Chief Minister and sitting MP, Ghulam Nabi Azad, and local MLA and Tourism Minister, G A Mir, visited a rehabilitation camp at the village and distributed relief material among the flood victims of the area.
Eighteen families, whose houses were destroyed by the floods, are living in tents at the camp supported by Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF). The Congress leaders visited all tents while distributing relief materials including ration-kits, cloth and Kashmiri gowns (Pheran).
Sonia told the flood victims that she would take up the issues with the Government and would do everything to help them.
Mir told the visiting Congress leaders that as the winter is nearing in, the major concern for the victims is the shelter. He said that Sonia and Rahul assured them to provide some sort of shelter for those the 18 families whose houses were destroyed.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, briefed the two visiting Congress leaders about the devastation caused by the floods and steps taken by the State Government to provide relief to the victims during a meeting at Nehru Guest House.
The meeting besides Chief Minister was attended by Deputy Chief Minister, Tara Chand, Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather, Rural Development Minister, Ali Mohammad Sagar, CAPD Minister, Choudhry Mohammad Ramzan, the Congress Ministers, Ghulam Nabi Azad Saif-ud-Din Soz, Ambika Soni.
The Principal Secretary Finance, B B Vyas, other officials and Revenue Secretary Vinod Kaul briefed Sonia and Rahul about the damages caused by the floods and relief and rescue carried out by the State Government.
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