Srinagar, September 5
As Kashmir battles the worst floods since 1992, environmentalists say the current situation was a “disaster in waiting” and warned that the present discharge in the Jhelum was nearing the flow recorded during the 1928 “catastrophe”.

Though the current situation has been triggered due to incessant rain across the region for the past three days, experts believe that the underlying factors were massive and irregular urbanisation, conversion of huge swathes of agricultural land for construction purposes and encroachments of wetlands, particularly around Srinagar city, have added to the current woes.

The last massive floods were witnessed in the Valley in 1992, when the whole of Bemina and other areas around south of Srinagar city were marooned.

“With the incessant downpour continuing for the third day, the discharge in the Jhelum river has already surpassed the 1992 volume of 65, 000 cusecs. The normal discharge in Jhelum is 35,000 cusec,” said environmental scientist Dr Shakil Romsho, who heads the Earth Sciences Department at the University of Kashmir.

“Though there was a pause in the downpour in Srinagar today, but if it rains further, we may see the Jhelum flowing above 80,000 cusec, that was the flow recorded during 1928 catastrophic floods,” Romsho told The Tribune.

On Thursday, Jhelum in Srinagar was flowing at 21.9 metre, well above the danger mark of 18 metre, which rose further as it continued to rain throughout the night.

Dr Shakil Romsho, who has also been studying the Himalayan glaciers for quite a long time now, said he had warned about the current situation way back in 2010 through a write-up about the dangers of “Worst floods in the history of Kashmir” in the event of an “extreme rainfall.”

“For the last three or four years, the Kashmir region has been witnessing above normal snowfall. With increasing temperatures, the level of waters was already high in the Jhelum and other streams. This discharge has been further increased by incessant rains,” Romsho said while explaining the factors behind the current deluge.

He said most of the newly built areas on the south of Srinagar city and left of the Jhelum used to be the prime agricultural land and low laying marsh and wetlands, which acted like a sponge during the extreme weather conditions like this. 

Jammu, September 5
Downpour continues to disrupt life in Jammu. With the Chenab flowing above the danger mark, the administration has sought the help of the Army and Air Force to rescue people and provide relief.

With heavy rain continuing generating fear of floods among Jammu residents, the district administration claims to have evacuated and rescued all people living in the low-lying areas of the Tawi and Chenab.

The Chenab is flowing 7 ft above the danger mark at 42 ft. However, the level of the Tawi came down today by 4 ft and flowing at 14 ft. As a precautionary measure the district administration has evacuated all people living in the low-lying areas near both the rivers. The help of the Army and Air Force was also taken to evacuate and rescue people from the low-lying areas near the rivers, especially from the Chenab.

Ajit Kumar Sahu, Deputy Commissioner (DC), Jammu, said, “The flood situation is still there, but the evacuation has been completed in all the low-lying villages of Jammu district. About 25 kullas (mud houses) and some cattle have been washed away in the floods. However, no major damage has been reported.”

“People from all the low-lying areas, like Bagwati Nagar, Belli Charana, Guda Manasa, Pargwal and Channi Dewanu, have been evacuated. More than 100 people have been airlifted from Hamirpur Kota and Mawa Karola,” he added.

More than 1,500 people have been shifted to different camps organised by the district administration at Bhagwati Nagar and Khor.

About 35 “kullas”, which were vacated at the Tawi side and their residents shifted to Bhagwati Nagar, have been washed away in the flood.

Mella Ram, who has been evacuated from a Tawi side kulla, said, “We have lost everything. All the cloths, utensils, books and uniforms of children have been washed away in the flood.”

“We are left with nothing now and even the administration has not given us anything to eat. Children have not eaten anything since morning,” he added.

Santosh kumar, a woman at the Bhagwati Nagar camp, said, “Officers and MLAs are coming here to see us, but nobody has arranged food for us.”

The district administration claims that it has provided shelter and food for more than 1,500 peoples at different camps.

“We are providing food and shelter to the people at different camps. We were busy in evacuation till afternoon and now we have provided food to them, the DC said.

Srinagar, September 5
As Kashmir battles the flood fury, the Army has launched massive rescue mission to evacuate people from flood-affected areas across the Valley to safer places.

A defence spokesman said the operation has been named as “Sahayata” (help).

“A large number of people have already been taken to safety and non-stop effort is being made to extricate people caught in critical conditions. Mission Sahayta has been launched by the Army to rescue people from critically affected areas, especially where lives were at risk,” the spokesman said.

“More than 50 columns across the Valley have been launched along engineer boats. Their teams putting themselves at great risk have rescued more than 1,500 people. The Army columns have also swung into action in and around their operating bases and provided relief and rescue to numerous other people in the Valley,” he said.

Mission Sahayta has been launched by the Army to rescue people from critically affected areas, especially where lives are at risk. —A Defence Spokesman

Kupwara, September 5
Inhabitants of low-lying villages in Kupwara district today moved to safer places with the help of the civil administration, police and the Army following an alarming rise in water level in major rivers and streams across the district.

Meanwhile, two major bridges connecting Shaloora, Narimpora and several other villages with the district headquarters were washed away by floods.

Kupwara Deputy Commissioner Syed Itrat Hussian Rafique told The Tribune that the administration provided sand bags and engaged boats in low lying-areas to rescue the villagers.

“Residents of Awat Kul, Kawari, Braripora, Gund Momin, Bangurgund, Vodhpora and a few other villages in the Langate constituency were rescued and sent to safer areas as these areas are still submerged. The administration is constantly monitoring the situation and people need not panic,” the DC added.

“We have requested for delivery of more boats from Srinagar as these boats too will be engaged wherever needed. The water level in major rivers is constantly rising, but is still far from danger mark. Middle School, Bramari, and the Public Health Centre are submerged in rainwater,” he added.

(Above) A family tries to remove floodwater from its house in Bemina area; Another family of Bemina lives seeks refuge in a truck as floods have left most of the areas inundated in Srinagar. Tribune photos: Amin War

Power supply in most of the areas of Kupwara remained affected for the second consecutive day today.

Meanwhile, residents of Bohipora near Kupwara appealed to the administration to take measures and divert the waters of Kehmil river to stop it from entering the village.

“The gushing water may enter the village and necessary measures should be taken forthwith to divert the flow of water. The village has already seen devastation due to floods in 1992,” said Mohd Ashraf Malik from Bohipora.

Due to incessant rain, the water level has gone up in rivers, including Kehmil, Mawar nullah, Pohru, Lolab nullah, Hayhama, Kalaroose and Hudh nullah. Troops of 6 RR and policemen helped in rescue operations in Bagurgund and shifted scores of families to safer places.

Governor concerned about loss of lives

Srinagar: Governor NN Vohra on Friday expressed concern about and sympathy over loss of human lives and economic losses caused by incessant rain and subsequent floods in the state. In a statement, the Governor conveyed his condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the next of kin of the persons who were killed in the Nowshera mishap, wherein a bus carrying a marriage party was washed away in a flash flood. The Governor appreciated the relief work being carried out by the state administration and urged all possible steps being taken to mitigate the suffering caused to the people by continuing rain and floods. The Governor appreciated the promptitude with which security forces, particularly the Army, had come to the rescue of persons affected at various places in the state. — TNS

Nature’s fury

• Power supply in most of the areas of Kupwara remained affected for the second consecutive day on Friday
• Residents of Bohipora near Kupwara appealed to the administration to take measures and divert the waters of the Kehmil river to stop it from entering the village
• Troops of 6 RR and policemen helped in rescue operations in Bagurgund and shifted scores of families to safer places 

Katra, September 5
Yatra to the Vaishno Devi shrine from Katra onwards continued to remain suspended today in the wake of incessant rain and landslides at various places en route the holy cave.

Chief Executive Officer of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Mandeep K Bhandari said the yatra has been temporarily suspended since 4pm yesterday as a precautionary measure to avoid any inconvenience to the pilgrims. He said the decision about the resumption of pilgrimage would be taken after the weather improves and advised the intending pilgrims to reschedule their plan accordingly. — OC

Srinagar, September 5
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti today urged the Centre to declare the Jammu and Kashmir floods as “national calamity”.

Mehbooba, according to a PDP statement, called Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh over the phone and expressed disappointment at the “inadequate response” to disaster in the state which has already taken a heavy toll of life, property and infrastructure.

Mehbooba said “concern that was rightly shown” towards the people affected by the recent ceasefire violations in the state by New Delhi was “clearly missing this time”.

She said more than 70 people had so far lost their lives in Jammu & Kashmir regions and there was a massive damage to infrastructure such as roads, bridges, embankments, power and water supply lines.

She said long-term relief and rehabilitation package would have to be worked out keeping in view the extent of damage and that the disaster was ‘beyond’ the resources and capacities of the state. She said the Centre needed to come ‘in a big way’ to the rescue of the people.

She said many places could not be reached except by air to save the marooned and inundated population or take relief material to them as road communication has been badly hit.

Stating that the state government had failed to perform its duty during the past six years and had been unable to establish a full-fledged Disaster Management Agency, she said: “In this age of accurate meteorological forecast it is an appalling failure of the state government that they could not mobilise men and material in time.”

Meanwhile, Mehbooba also spoke to the Corps Commander in Srinagar and urged him to organise rescue and relief operations and help the state administration and local people in this hour of crisis. She told him that boats were required in large numbers in almost all areas and that needed to be accorded priority. The Core Commander assured her of all possible help and assistance in reaching out to the affected people with relief and rescue measures.

“While the field officers needed logistical backup and independence of action they are mostly engaged in organising photo ops for the Chief Minister,” she added.

Referring to the cancellation of the Home Minister’s scheduled visit to the state, Mehbooba told Singh that it would have been appropriate for him to visit the state to have a feel of the situation personally and realise the extent of damage and misery facing the people.

Jammu, September 5
Ladakh today stole the show during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s interaction with schoolchildren across the country on Teacher’s Day. A query from Class VIII student of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Leh, Rigzin Angmo brought naughty child out of the Prime Minister.

Schoolchildren, who interacted with the Prime Minister during his 90-minute address televised live, said they rated Ladakhi student’s query as their ‘most favourite’.

Angmo, who greeted Modi with ‘namastey’ and ‘jullay (the Buddhist way of greeting) via video-conferencing, asked the Prime Minister whether he and his friends indulged in pranks during his school days. Modi, with a smiling face, admitted he too was naughty and used to play pranks with his friends during his school days.

“Yes, I used to play pranks with my friends,” he said and recalled his school days when he used to show ‘shehnai’ players tamarind at weddings and enjoyed it a lot when they were unable to play it as their mouth would salivate.

“When ‘shehnai walas’ used to play shehnai at weddings, we showed them ‘imlis’ (tamarind). They used to be unable to play it (shehnai) as their mouth would salivate. They used to run after us. We also used to go for weddings and staple together clothes of the guests. But, you promise me that you all will not do this to anyone,” Modi said while sharing his school days with children.

Before responding to the student’s query, Modi asked the students from Ladakh whether they remembered what he had said during his recent visit to Leh on August 12. It brought big smiles on the faces of schoolchildren as they were not aware of the Prime Minister’s speech in Ladakh.

Modi, while sharing his long stay in the northernmost region (Ladakh) of the country told the students that his friends used to request him for bringing cauliflower and potato for them from Leh on his return.

However, there was message for children from the Prime Minister when he said, “Bachpan badi teji se mar raha hai…. (Childhood innocence is dying fast). Children should not lose their childhood and its joyousness should stay for long”.

The live telecast of the Prime Minister’s address on Teacher’s day in more than 23,000 government and primary schools of Jammu and Kashmir could not take place because the state government had announced closure of all schools till September 7 in view of the flash floods and landslides triggered by continuous rains across the state since September 3. 

RS Pura (Jammu), September 5
Though continuous heavy rainfall in the Jammu region has led to massive devastation for the last three days, it has been a blessing in disguise for paddy farmers of the borders villages of the RS Pura area. Farms near the international border have been irrigated due to the rain, which were earlier unreachable due to shelling from the other side for the last 45 days.

Paddy farmers in the RS Pura area, known for world famous basmati rice, are happy with the continuous rain after facing a long dry spell. The rain has brought back hopes of better production among the basmati growers of the state, who were expecting about 40 per cent less production this year due the deficit monsoon.

Dev Raj, president, Basmati Growers Association, said, “It is a matter of happiness for the paddy farmers as continuous rain is required for the better production of rice.” “This will increase the production by more than 20 per cent,” he added.

Due to continuous firing from the Pakistan side, farmers were unable to irrigate their farms, which was cultivated in June. About 33,000 kanals of agricultural land between barbed fence and the Zero Line from Allah Mai De Kothe to Devigarh and Trewa in the RS Pura Sector had remained out of reach for them.

“This rain has also irrigated land near the fence, where we were unable to reach these days. We had, however, irrigated our farms with motor pumps and canals, but due to firing from the other side, farms near the border were left dry,” said Dev Raj.

Jammu, September 5
After accomplishing “mission 274” in the Lok Sabha elections, the Sangh Parivar is all out to fulfil its dream of installing a “nationalist” government in Jammu and Kashmir, the only Muslim majority state in the country.

The decision of the BJP to deploy whole-timers (“pracharaks”) in all 37 Assembly segments in Jammu province and four in Ladakh region is a clear indicator of the Sangh Parivar’s full backing to the saffron party to achieve “the impossible but ambitious” target of “plus 44” seats.

The BJP has announced that it will deploy whole-timers in Assembly segments to prepare ground for BJP candidates in the run-up to the Assembly elections.

Whole-timers of the Sangh Parivar have already started one-on-one contact programmes in the constituencies allocated to them. They will remain in their respective constituencies till completion of the Assembly elections.

BJP sources said it was impossible to deploy whole-timers in such a large number in Assembly segments without support of the Sangh Parivar.

“Various Sangh Parivar organisations have sent workers to the BJP to create a wave in the Jammu region to accomplish the task of installing a nationalist government,” the sources said.

They added that unlike previous Assembly elections, the BJP had decided to utilise all resources this time to form its government in Jammu and Kashmir.

“The Lok Sabha election experience has encouraged the Sangh Parivar to have the same formula in the Assembly elections. The BJP had deputed Sangh Parivar activists in many areas in the parliamentary poll to educate the people,” a senior BJP leader said on the condition of anonymity.

He pointed out that whole-timers would be provided all possible logistic support by the BJP. On Wednesday, the BJP handed over motorcycles to seven whole-timers.

Dr Nirmal Singh, chairman of the election campaign committee of the BJP, said a number of youths were coming forward to become whole-timers to help the party achieve the target of “plus 44” seats.

He admitted that the party was making available all required infrastructure and basic commodities to volunteers who had come forward to contribute to the party’s “mission 44 plus”.

Giving details of whole-timers, BJP general secretary (organisation) Ashok Koul said 40 volunteers had been declared as whole-timers.

Addressing a rally in Kathua on August 25, BJP national president Amit Shah declared that it was his desire to instal a “nationalist” government in Jammu and Kashmir. He announced that Assembly elections in the state was a “nationalist mission” for the BJP.

Doda, September 5
The earthquake measuring instrument installed by a team from Hyderabad at the degree college in Doda to measure intensity of tremors, which are frequent, has failed to serve the purpose as no one knows how to operate it.

Since May 1 last year, Doda district has recorded more than 100 low to moderate earthquakes. The earthquake that day, in which more than 80,000 structures developed cracks, measured 5.8 on the Richter scale.

College principal Zaheer Abbas Hashmi said, “A team came from Hyderabad last year after Doda district recorded frequent earthquakes. They installed a device to measure intensity of earthquakes, but did not provide technical know-how to handle the equipment.”

“The purpose of installation has been defeated and the instrument is gathering dust since its installation in the physics laboratory. We do not know how it works and the agency has not guided our staff to take care of it. The instrument is in working condition, but is of no use to us,” he added.

“We gave permission to instal the instrument on our premises after the then Doda Deputy Commissioner told us to provide space. Since then, no one has come from the agency to take care of or monitor it. We are contacting the agency and are hopeful,” he further said.

Newly appointed Doda Deputy Development Commissioner SV Meena said he would take up the issue with the agency so that the instrument could be made functional. “I have heard about the instrument lying defunct without a technical handler, but the problem will be solved soon,” he said.

Jammu, September 5
Despite disruption of normal life due to rainfall, traffic police personnel are making every effort to streamline vehicle movement in the city as several roads have been flooded for the last two days.

The downpour has also exposed the poor urban planning in the city as most of the sewers are overflowing. In many localities drains are overflowing as the garbage has blocked them.

There was total chaos on the Janipur-bus stand road, Canal road-Bohri and Dogra chowk as roads are flooded.

“We are trying our best to control traffic and our personnel, despite continuous rains, are doing their duty. The movement of vehicles has been hindered leading to frequent jams,” said a police official.

The dug-up roads at various places has created problem for the two-wheelers. It is difficult to drive through many parts of the city. Same chaos could be observed at the General Bus Stand, Gumat, Chand Nagar, Vinayak Bazaar and surrounding areas of Jewel.

Rajan Sharma, a resident of the Canal road said, “For the last several weeks the road leading to our locality has been dug up. Due to the continuous rain since last night, the place has become a pool and could lead to injuries to inhabitants.”

Srinagar, September 5
The Kashmir Traders Federation (KTF) has urged the government to pay special attention towards the shopkeepers whose businesses have been affected following incessant rains in the city.

In a statement, KTF publicity chief Aijaz Shahdhar said the traders throughout the Valley had suffered huge losses due to incessant rains. He said rainwater had entered into several business establishments and shops and urged the government to pay “high attention” towards their problems. Meanwhile, the KTF conducted a meeting to condole the demise of senior vice-president of the federation Haji Ghulam Mohiuddin Wani. Shahdar said the deceased was a prominent trade leader. Several “kiryana” merchants also attended the condolence meeting. — TNS

Jammu, September 5
Postgraduation students of the Division of Biochemistry and Plant Physiology, SKUAST-Jammu organised a function on the occasion of Teacher’s Day.

Head of the division SA Malik addressed the students and faculty members on the occasion. He spoke about the importance of Teacher’s Day. He said Teacher’s Day is celebrated as a tribute to the valuable contribution made by the teachers to the society by imparting knowledge and shaping the carrier of the students.

Moreover, it is the birthday of great teacher Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who was the strong believer of education and was one of the well known diplomat, scholar and second President of India. Students indulged themselves in various cultural activities.

On the occasion all the teachers were present.

Jammu, September 5
While hailing the decision of the Union Government of releasing 7 per cent DA, due from July, to its employees and pensioners, president National Mazdoor Conference (NMC) Subash Shastri described the initiative of the NDA government at the Centre as employees/pensioners’ friendly.

Shastri said the decision taken by the Union Cabinet would give relief to the employees and pensioners considering the present inflation and price hike.

He urged the state Chief Minister to release the same instalment of DA at the earliest as such expenditure already exists in the current year Budget estimates.

Jammu, September 5
A symposium-cum-exhibition titled “North Technical-2014” was organised at Udhampur today, under the aegis of the Northern Command Headquarters.

The event was aimed at providing Army units, maintenance agencies and industry an opportunity to exhibit their innovations and display technical products at a common platform.

A large array of modern equipment related to surveillance, communication, safety and security were put on display on the occasion.

Northern Command chief Lt Gen DS Hooda also visited the symposium.

In his address, Lt General Hooda emphasised the need for all personnel to have mental mobility, spirit of innovation and out-of-box thinking in the present era of technology transition so as to effectively combine them with operational concepts for a proportional increase in combat potential and military effectiveness.

He lauded the wide participation by the industry, including defence establishments like the DRDO and BEL, in showcasing valuable products which would go a long way in equipping units and enhancing operational efficiency.

Jammu, September 5
The extension unit of the Model Institute of Engineering Technology (MIER) College of Education organised an awareness programme on child labour at Kabir Basti, near BC Road.

A group of 15 members of the extension unit along with in charge Suman Devi visited the slum area.

The students performed a skit focusing on the theme of “Child labour”. The skit highlighted its effects on the delicate minds and bodies of children who are the future of the nation. The skit highlighted the rights of the child and importance of education to the slum dwellers.

Through the skit, volunteers drove home the fact that child labour is illegal and a punishable act. The presentation was highly appreciated by the audience. Suman Devi thanked the participants and the slum dwellers for their cooperation and 
support.

Srinagar, September 5
With power looms spinning fake products posing a threat to the existence of pashmina shawls, the state authorities are planning to introduce a legislation to preserve the world-famous textile.

The state Handicrafts Department is working on a proposal to get pashmina included in the items reserved exclusively for handloom by amending the existing Handloom Act.

“Under the Handloom Act, the definition of handloom is traditional loom and not power loom. As per its provisions, some items can be reserved exclusively for handloom. I am submitting a proposal to the government to reserve pashmina exclusively for handloom,” said Director of Handicrafts Tariq Ahmad Ganaie.

He said once the legislation was passed and pashmina included in the reserved category, using power looms for spinning the shawls would become illegal.

Ganaie said the mushrooming of power looms had increased the production of pashmina shawls manifold but the genuineness and superiority of the product had been compromised.

“The raw material of pashmina, called in local parlance, is very soft and suited for traditional loom. Taar cannot sustain force in a power loom and as a result nylon and other synthetic fibers are added to make it strong. This is what we call fake pashmina,” he said.

He said at present his department could not bar power looms from spinning pashmina shawls as the “power loom users argue that they have got registration from the Industries Department for spinning wool and they say that pashmina is also a wool”.

He said genuine pashmina should fulfill three main specifications: it should be obtained from under the fleece of mountain goat Capra hircus, mostly found in the Ladakh region, the fibres known as ‘pashm’ should have a diameter of 12 to 16 microns and it should be hand spun.

“There is an urgent need to reserve this item exclusively for handloom and preserve this craft for the future,” Ganaie said, adding that once the law is in place, its implementation will be the responsibility of his department.

“We have a sophisticated laboratory to check the genuineness of the products and label it as pure. Machine-made pashmina is a fake pashmina for all practical purposes. Once power looms are stopped, then the role of this lab comes into play,” said the Director of Handloom.

“If the power looms continue spinning fake items, then what is the fun of having this laboratory... even having the Geographical Indication (GI) mark will not help save its uniqueness and superiority,” he said.

Last August, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah opened the Testing and Quality Certification Centre at the Craft Development Institute here to label the genuine pashmina shawls, after testing originality of the fabric, finesse of the thread, spinning method and weaving technology.

Ganaie said low production cost encouraged people to use power looms. While Rs 20,000 is the cost incurred on spinning 1 kg of taar by traditional methods, the cost comes down to only Rs 2,000 in power looms. He said even some artisans in Kashmir had started using synthetic taar.

As an immediate measure, Ganaie said his department would soon launch an awareness programme to educate people about the genuineness of the product. “We want to make people aware about it because most of them don’t know what is being sold to them. At least the seller would have this fear that the buyer is aware,” he said.

He said if such measures were put in place and use of power handlooms for weaving pashmina was stopped, it could become a Rs 2,000-crore industry. “During 2013-14, we have exported pashmina products worth Rs 400 crore... If it is protected, the trade can touch Rs 2,000 crore annually,” he said.

The director said they had not labelled any pashmina product at the Testing and Quality Certification Centre till now. “There is a procedural delay. We have not got user identities from the GI registry in Chennai for individual artisans. To get labelled, authorisation by the user identification is a must,” he said.

Hina Qazi, project coordinator at the laboratory, said uniqueness of Kashmiri pashmina lies in the weaving process and not in the material as such. “Pashmina does not only come from Kashmir but also from China and Scotland. However, those are machine-woven unlike the Kashmiri product,” Hina said. — PTI

Jammu, September 5
Jammu Peace People's Forum (JPPF) president Sanjeev Gupta today visited the Peer Kho area of old Jammu with his team to assess the loss due to 
flash floods.

During his visit, Gupta met the residents and expressed his dismay over the plight of the people, mainly due to failure of the government to ensure safety of the inhabitants. He appealed to the Municipal Corporation Commissioner to conduct a proper survey of the areas and provide compensation to the affected families.

The Jammu Peace People's Forum president appealed to the Municipal Corporation Commissioner for repairing the lanes and drains, which got badly damaged due to the heavy rain.

Srinagar, September 5
Do it yourself! That was the mantra behind the valiant efforts by nearly 3,000 residents of the Old Barzulla locality in the summer capital of J&K to save themselves from the overflowing Doodh Ganga stream that threatened to seep into their homes.

Heavy rainfall across the Valley swelled the water bodies with water level in Doodh Ganga stream rising menacingly fast.

The residents of the peninsula-shaped locality, Old Barzullah, which is covered by water bodies on two of its three sides, sent SOS to all agencies concerned for taking measures to prevent water from inundating the densely populated residential area.

"We were promised help by the district administration as well as officials of the Flood Control Department, but none came out way till the stream started overflowing its banks," Mohammad Yousuf Mir claimed.

Mir said all government officials had to do was send a JCB to cut an embankment of Doodh Ganga stream that would have allowed the excess water to pass into a flood channel.

"For three hours, we waited for the government to act, but we apparently were not a priority. That when we decided to take control of the situation," Mir said.

Mir along with a few dozen youth first tried to cut the embankment using shovels and spades but the task proved very difficult.

"We then decided to pool money and hired a private JCB which cut through the embankment and the water level receded within an hour," Mohammad Shafi, another local resident, said.

The residents were all praise for Mohammad Fida, who volunteered to operate the JCB in the absence of an operator.

"The officials who were supposed to do this have not done anything. Two things we expect from them are credit for saving Barzulla and encashing some bills for this work," the residents said.

Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, Farooq Ahmad Shah admitted that the local residents had arranged a JCB on their own but maintained that official help was on its way.

"We could not have used three JCBs for this work. The locals had got one, SMC had sent one and Flood Control Department another. Why should we use three when one was enough," he said.

The local residents also alleged that encroachment on the banks of Doodh Ganga by some people with links to both National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party had resulted in soil erosion, leading to the floods.

Shah said he would look into the allegations as soon as the flood situation eases out. — PTI

Srinagar, September 5
The Srinagar city is all set to host the maiden half-marathon later this month. The organisers of the event said the event to be held on September 28 would be the first ever structured run at an international scale to be organised in the Valley. Around 5,000 participants are expected to be the part of the run.

“The half marathon will be held in three categories including a family fun run of 7 km and kids dash of 2.5 km. Runners from across the world will have a chance to run and soak in the Valley’s beauty,” Hemant Dua of Inspiranti Sports told reporters here.

He said the half marathon would be an annual event and would be staged on the last Sunday of September every year.

“We hope the event will attract over 5,000 runners. To ensure large participation, we have announced a prize purse of Rs 2.5 lakh. The prizes will be provided in three categories —- open category, J&K residents and forces,” Dua said.

He further said a university challenge has been instituted to attract youngsters from the state.

New Delhi, September 5
Within four weeks of having told the nation that it was time to relocate Kashmiri Pandits to their Valley homes, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday wrote to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, seeking land for dwelling units for these families.

The Ministry of Home Affairs is keen to relocate Pandits in the places from where they had migrated. Rise in militancy had forced Pandits out of the Kashmir valley in 1989 and 1990. Since then, attempts to relocate the community back had failed.

“Land may be identified near the native places they migrated from,” the Home Minister asked the state government, indicating that the government should evenly spread out Pandits and not create a pocket.

The ministry advised that such areas should be selected keeping in view availability of adequate security in close proximity to the place. Pandits fleeing the Valley had made distress sale to dispose of their homes. At many places, the houses were forcibly occupied by the local population.

At present, there are 60,452 registered Kashmiri migrant families in the country, of which 38,119 are in Jammu, 19,338 in Delhi and 1,995 in other states. In his letter to the Chief Minister, the Home Minister reiterated the stand, saying the Centre was “committed to facilitate the return of Kashmiri migrants to the Valley and their proper rehabilitation”. The government had allocated Rs 500 crore for rehabilitation of Pandits.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha on August 11, the Home Minister said rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits was a national issue for the government and it would not rest in peace till Pandits were rehabilitated in homeland.

In Parliament, a ‘calling attention’ had been raised by K Kavita of the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti, backed by Anurag Thakur of the BJP.

K Kavita had questioned the rehabilitation plan by saying, “Right now, it seems that the government is trying to push them back to their homeland just to show some results. I sincerely urge the government not put them in danger until and unless it can guarantee their safety.”

Srinagar, September 5
Members of the privilege committee of the Legislative Council were on Friday provided record and history of proceedings initiated in the payoff row against Gen VK Singh (retd), Union minister and former Army Chief, by the previous panel.

The previous panel, whose term expired earlier this year, had failed to reach a consensus on privilege motion against General Singh as there was difference of opinion over legality of the panel.

Mohammad Rafiq Shah of the Panthers Party, who heads the committee, said record and history of proceedings were provided to the members so that they could examine those.

“We circulated the record of the previous committee among members of the panel so that they could examine it. Once we meet next week, we will have a discussion on the issue,” he said.