Srinagar: Water levels have started receding in Srinagar city, one of the worst hit by the deluge, facilitating rescue workers to pluck out another 29,000 persons to safety but four lakh people were today still waiting for help in the flood-ravaged Kashmir Valley.

Scaling up rescue work, the Army and IAF have deployed 329 columns and 79 aircraft and helicopters to evacuate those stranded and provide food and medicines.

"A massive rescue and relief operation by Indian armed forces is continuing on a war footing in Jammu and Kashmir with over 76,500 persons rescued so far by the Armed forces and NDRF in different regions of the state", PRO, Defence, Col G D Goswami said today.

"79 transport aircraft and helicopters of Indian Air Force and Army Aviation Corp have been pressed into service.

Army has deployed 329 columns of its personnel for rescue and relief operations, in which 244 columns deployed in Srinagar region and 85 columns in Jammu region", he said.

In general the water level is receding but areas downstream of Jhelum River are experiencing increase in water levels, he said.

"In Srinagar town there is a decrease in water level by 3 to 4 feet since the beginning of the floods, whereas there is a rise of 6 inches in Wuller Lake. Manasbal Lake saw a reduction by 3 inches bringing the water level to 18.3 feet, which is still 4.3 feet above danger mark," the PRO said.

Srinagar town remains the most critical part of flood hit areas.

"All those areas where it was not possible to reach earlier remain the focus of the rescue mission today," he stressed and added that the reas of Rajbag, Jawahar Nagar, Gogji Bag and Shivpora where the bulk of the stranded people are located saw major effort for evacuation. While greater desperation was seen in areas which are on the outer fringes, people in the interiors of these colonies are displaying a great sense of responsibility and directing the rescue teams to those people who are worse affected.

Many camps of Army located in South Kashmir and Srinagar have also been flooded and over 1000 Army personnel and families are stranded without food and water. Water, electricity, supplies and other services have been hit within the cantonments.

Authorities were also trying to fix telecommunication links snapped since Sunday afternoon on a war footing and hope to restore it in a phased manner.

As the miseries faced by people — some of them perched on rooftops — in the worst floods to hit Jammu and Kashmir in six decades unfolded, the death toll in the floods, landslides and house collapses triggered by torrential monsoon rains since Tuesday last was stated to be around 200.

In an endeavour to provide speedy medical aid to the affected populace, 80 medical teams of the Armed Forces Medical Services have also swung into action.

The Army has distributed 8,200 blankets and 650 tents, 1,50,000 litres of water, 2.6 tonne of biscuit, 7 tonne baby food and 28,000 food packets in the flood-affected areas.

Additional water bottles are being airlifted from Chandigarh and Delhi, he said.

More relief material including 2,000 hospital bed sheets, blankets and tents, water bottles and cooked food are being airlifted today.

So far 613 sorties have been undertaken by helicopters and aircraft of Armed Forces and 715 tonnes of relief material has been dropped by the Indian Air Force, he said.

135 Army boats and 148 NDRF's inflatable boats are actively involved in the rescue operation. To restore road connectivity, five task forces of Border Roads Organisation, which include 5700 personnel, have been pressed into service.

As of now, the road connectivity has been restored between Batote–Kishtwar and Kishtwar-Sinthan Pass. Work between Sinthan Pass and Anantnag is in progress and the Jammu-Poonch road has been cleared for traffic.

Fifteen engineering task force teams along with boats and other life-saving equipment have already reached the flood affected areas to supplement the rescue operation, Goswami said.

Army rescue teams, during the course of evacuation are also interacting with the stranded persons, assuring them that they are comparatively in safer places.

Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag is scheduled to visit the city today to review the flood situation and take stock of the rescue and relief operations by the armed forces in the flood-ravaged Kashmir Valley. — PTI

IAF airlifts 206 stranded people to Chandigarh

CGHANDIGARH: The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Wednesday airlifted 206 people, who were stranded in flood-hit Jammu and Kashmir for the last few days, to Chandigarh.

Those rescued included civilians, tourists and workers from other parts of India. They were rescued from various places in the Kashmir Valley by security agencies in overnight rescue and relief operations, a defence spokesman said here.

The people were brought to Chandigarh on an IL-76 aircraft.

"Medical assistance, food, drinking water and primary help was given to the rescued people at the 12 Wing relief camp. Onward transportation to bus stands and railway stations for their hometowns was also arranged," the spokesman said.

The IAF on Monday brought nearly 350 people from Jammu and Kashmir to Chandigarh.

The Air Force 12 Wing has launched Mi-26 helicopter, the biggest helicopter in the world, in the ongoing relief operation in Kashmir.

"Mi-26 will be operating ex-Awantipur and will prove to be very effective in flood relief. It will also assist in infrastructure development as it can carry heavy machinery and load in a single sortie. This is the world's biggest helicopter and can lift 30 tonnes of load," the spokesman said.

The deployment of Mi-26 will also help in speedy repair of roads, bridges and other infrastructure, he added. — IANS

Srinagar: An NDRF jawan was today attacked by angry locals here while few other personnel of the force were heckled while they were rendering relief and rescue operations in the flood-hit areas.

Officials said a National Disaster Response Force trooper received severe injuries on his hand when the locals attacked him.

The locals apparently wanted the NDRF men to concentrate on a particular area and when the force personnel decided to go to a different marooned area, the locals attacked them.

"The jawan has been sent to Chandigarh for treatment and was accommodated on a scheduled IAF flight going to that city.

Few incidents of our men being heckled are being witnessed since yesterday in the state," a senior officer said.

Worried by the development, the NDRF and senior Home Ministry officials have asked the Cabinet Secretary to devise some mechanism so that troops are kept safe while they render their duty.

"It has been decided that CRPF will guard rescue teams but we are still to find a way to implement this mechanism as there is limited space on the boat. Carrying securitymen on boat means reducing space for people to be rescued," a senior official said.

Meanwhile, the government has rushed NDRF chief O.P. Singh to Srinagar to personally monitor and supervise rescue operations in the state.

The NDRF has deployed 19 teams and over 150 boats in the flood-hit states for these operations. — PTI

SRINAGAR: Terming the flood situation in the flood-ravaged Kashmir Valley as “very serious”, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said he understood the anger of the people affected by the “unprecedented” catastrophe.

Abdullah also dismissed criticism of his government in the handling of the flood crisis, saying joint efforts involving various agencies, including his administration, are being made to help people tide over the crisis.

Over 200 people have been killed in floods, landslides and house collapses triggered by torrential rains. Four lakh people still remain stranded. Abdullah on Tuesday described the floods that have devastated the state as the worst in 109 years.

Asked about the criticism of the state government over the handling of the situation, Abdullah said if there was heckling, “People are alive to shout slogans, I have no problems.”

“It means that these people have been rescued; they have been accommodated somewhere. Where they have been accommodated is not my concern,” he said.

“I understand the anger (of people). I don’t grudge them.

They have gone through difficult times.”

Congress leader Saifuddin Soz was heckled in one of the relief camps.

Abdullah said the situation was unprecedented.

“The focus is entirely on making available all assets. Such situations are handled through joint efforts ... it is a very serious humanitarian situation in terms of rescue and relief of the people.

“... It is an unprecedented situation. In nobody’s life time, we remember water to be at this level. It is something nobody could have prepared for. The efforts of the Central government, Army, Air Force and state government and operations have been ramped up. Supplies are arriving and we are doing our best to rescue people,” he said

The Chief Minister said there was no “weakness” in coordination between the forces on ground and the state government is working together with the armed forces.

“I am in touch with the Army, the Navy and trying to make sure that the right stuff reaches the right place and we are able to achieve the stuff properly. We are not able to communicate with the people,” he said.

He said the main source of worry for him was the likely spread of diseases after the water level in flood-hit areas recedes. — PTI

NEW DELHI: Union Minister Jitendra Singh today assured the flood-affected people of Jammu and Kashmir of all help from the Centre to tide over the crisis which has hit their state.

Singh, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, said there is no need to panic and promised every help to the relatives and kin of the people stranded in the flood-hit areas of J&K.

In an official release here, Singh, the MP from Udhampur constituency of J&K, said over 76,500 people have been rescued so far by the armed forces and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

The remaining affected and stranded persons are also in the process of being evacuated, he said.

Singh lauded the role of the Army, Air Force and paramilitary forces, including BSF personnel, in the rescue and relief operations. The Air Force and Army have pressed nearly 80 aircraft and helicopters into the effort, he said.

Singh said he had taken up the issue of the need for more relief material with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

The Army alone has distributed 1,50,000 litres of water to the flood-affected while more water bottles are being airlifted from Chandigarh and Delhi, he added.

Singh said he was in touch with the state administration and also maintaining regular contact with the Deputy Commissioners of the affected districts.

He cited the break down of communication and telephone links as a major hassle and hoped these would be restored in the next one or two days. Rescue teams are using satellite phones for communication, he said.

Heavy rainfall led to floods in many areas of J&K, leaving nearly 200 people dead and rendering thousands homeless. — PTI

Muzaffarnagar: BJP president Amit Shah was on Wednesday chargesheeted by the police for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct by delivering an “objectionable” speech during campaigning for the Lok Sabha election in Uttar Pradesh.

The chargesheet was filed against Shah in a court in Muzaffarnagar for allegedly seeking votes on the grounds of religion, race, caste and community.

The Deputy SP of New Mandi Circle here, Yogender Singh, said the chargesheet has been filed under various sections of IPC, including 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, etc.), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class) and 505 (false statement, rumour, etc., circulated with intent to cause mutiny or offence against the public peace), and Section 123-3 of Representation of People Act (making an appeal to vote on the grounds of religion amounting to corrupt practice).

The police had registered a case against Shah for allegedly violating the model code following a direction from the Election Commission (EC), which had also banned him from campaigning in the state on April 4, 2014.

The FIR was lodged against Shah at New Mandi police station by a district official and the case was handed over to Sub-Inspector B.L. Shah for investigation.

Shah had landed in a major controversy for allegedly saying that the 2014 Lok Sabha poll was an opportunity to seek “revenge for the insult” inflicted during the riots in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh last year.

Taking note of the “revenge” remark by Shah, the EC had issued a notice to him for prima facie violation of the model code. Shah had denied having violated the model code and asked EC to reconsider its notice to him claiming that the remarks were not recorded in the right perspective. The ban on him was later lifted. — PTI

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday met Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and submitted a CD of a sting operation which purportedly showed a senior Delhi BJP leader trying to poach an AAP MLA.

AAP also urged the Lt Governor to revise his September 4 letter to President Pranab Mukherjee seeking permission to invite the single largest party (BJP) to form government in Delhi.

“We have submitted the CD of our sting operation which shows BJP trying to buy our MLA for Rs 4 crore. We requested the LG to watch the video. We also asked him to revise the September 4 letter he sent to President Mukherjee in which, in a way, he has sought permission to invite BJP for government formation,” said senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia who accompanied Kejriwal during the meeting.

The AAP leader accused BJP of indulging in 'horse trading' to form government in Delhi. “Even if BJP forms the government by horse trading, the problems of Delhi will not be solved. Such a government will be a burden on the people of Delhi and forming government this way will be betraying them,” Sisodia said.

At the meeting, AAP asked the Lt Governor to dissolve the Delhi Assembly.

Sisodia said that if required they will submit the CD to the President.

AAP’s meeting with Jung comes a day after the Supreme Court gave the central government a month to end the deadlock over government formation in Delhi. — PTI

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today questioned the logic behind Kerala government's new liquor policy for limiting bar licences to only 5-star hotels as part of a move to implement total prohibition in the state in 10 years and agreed to examine it.

A Bench of justices A.R. Dave and U.U. Lalit agreed to grant an urgent hearing on a plea of aggrieved owners of hotels and posted the case for tomorrow. It asked the state government not to take any coercive step against them as the bars were directed to be shut down from tomorrow.

"What is the logic behind this? We don't see any logic behind this," the Bench said.

A bunch of top lawyers, including senior advocates Fali S. Nariman, Ram Jethmalani, Rajeev Dhawan, C.S. Sunderam and Arvind Dattar, appearing for various hotels, made a strong plea to the court to stay the policy, saying it is discriminatory in nature.

They submitted that deadline for their bar licenses will be revoked from midnight and urged the Bench to take up the case for hearing urgently. They contended that their business would suffer badly and they have already made booking for tourists.

The Bench, after a brief hearing, posted the case for tomorrow.

Under the new policy, the UDF Government had last month decided to shut around 700 bars attached to hotels below five-star categories. — PTI

WASHINGTON: Thirteen years after the tragic events of 9/11, South Asians in particular Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and the Arab communities face an increasingly hostile climate in the United States, according to a report.

The South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) in its report 'Under Suspicion, Under Attack' documents over 150 incidents of hate violence and xenophobic rhetoric by political figures and government officials that occurred nationwide from January 2011 through April 2014.

It found a 40 per cent annual increase in xenophobic political comments since SAALT's last analysis issued in 2010.

While numerous hate violence incidents frequently go unreported, it tracked nearly 80 incidents in communities nationwide, with an overwhelming share animated by anti-Muslim sentiment.

Hate violence 'hot spots' included the New York City/New Jersey metropolitan area; Chicago and its outlying suburbs; and Southern and Northern California, the report said.

The report was released at a briefing on Capitol Hill.

"Thirteen years after the tragic events of 9/11, we saw consistently high numbers of hate violence incidents and a surge in xenophobic political rhetoric aimed at our communities, portraying them as un-American, unwelcome, and disloyal. Disturbingly, over 80 per cent of documented hate violence incidents were motivated by anti-Muslim sentiment," said Suman Raghunathan, executive director of SAALT.

"Our communities have endured a sustained and even escalating backlash after 9/11, crystallized by hate violence.

I myself was the victim of a hate violence attack just last week near my office in Brooklyn, NY. Enough is enough. That's why we started the Take on Hate Campaign," said Linda Sarsour, Senior Strategist for the Take on Hate Campaign and Executive Director of the Arab American Association of New York.

"This report not only highlights the problems facing our communities, it points to 'better practices' as models for coalition-building and organizing," said Fahd Ahmed, the acting director of DRUM - South Asian Organizing Center.

"For example, New York City groups united across lines of race, ethnicity, national origin, and religion to pass the Community Safety Act in 2013. We now have a framework to hold the NYPD accountable for their discriminatory practices, which sow distrust of law enforcement and enshrine profiling. We can do better, and we must," Ahmed said. — PTI

Saradha scam: CBI questions Trinamool MP Srinjoy Bose

KOLKATA: The special crime branch of the CBI on Wednesday questioned another Trinamool Congress MP Srinjoy Bose in connection with the multi-crore Saradha scam.

CBI sources told PTI that Bose, a Rajya Sabha member, had received the summons on Tuesday.

Bose, who also owns the popular Bengali daily Pratidin, once employed the suspended Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Kunal Ghosh, now behind bars for his alleged role in the Saradha scam, as editor of the newspaper.

Meanwhile, former West Bengal DGP Rajat Mazumdar, who was arrested by the CBI on Tuesday after his questioning also in connection with the scam, was being treated in a government hospital after he complained of chest pain.

He was admitted in the ICU on Tuesday night shortly after his arrest and several tests were conducted on him. — PTI

ISLAMABAD: At least 65 militants were killed today as Pakistani air force jets pounded Taliban hideouts in the restive North Waziristan tribal region, where the military is mounting a major offensive against the Taliban militants.

The latest strikes targeted militants in the northwest of Datta Khel valley and a village of Shawal area, destroying five hideouts of rebels, military said in a statement.

Thirty militants killed in Shawal Valley, it said.

In separate air strikes in the morning, 35 terrorists were killed and three hideouts destroyed in Datta Khel.

The death toll could not be verified through independent sources as the area is out of reach of free media.

The military launched operation 'Zarb-e-Azb' in June to eliminate local and foreign militants from their bases in the North Waziristan, one of seven semi-autonomous tribal districts.

Six militants, one soldier and a civilian staffer of army were killed in the area yesterday after a shootout between the security forces and the militants.

So far more than 950 militants have been killed since the operation was started. — PTI

NEW DELHI: Ace Indian women's doubles player Jwala Gutta has pulled out of the prestigious Asian Games after sustaining a sprain in the right knee ahead of the multi-sport event in Incheon, Korea.

One half of the World Championship bronze medallist pair, Jwala developed a pain in her right knee and decided to consult doctor, who advised her complete rest for the next two weeks, forcing her to miss the Asian Games.

"I was feeling a little pain after I started training for the Asian Games following the World Championship but it was okay and my coach also told me it is fine as long as it is bearable but then yesterday I sprained my knee," Jwala, who along with Ashwini Ponnappa helped India win a historic bronze at the Uber Cup, told PTI.

"There was swelling and I consulted two doctors, who advised me to rest for 10-12 days, which means I had no option but to pull out. It is a weird feeling because I have never withdrawn from a tournament due to injury in my career," added the 31-year-old, who won a gold and a silver at the 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games respectively.

Jwala always has been a vital cog for India's performance in team championship and her withdrawl is a big blow for the women's side which will be competing at Incheon.

"The swelling has come down now. But I am not able to exert weight on the knee as its hurting. Also age is not on my side, so I have to be careful. Next year is very important for me and I didn't want to aggravate it. Hopefully, I will be back for the European circuit," Jwala concluded. — PTI