Jammu, September 29
A team of engineers from the Jammu and Kashmir Project Construction Corporation (JKPCC) has temporarily restored the movement of traffic on the fourth bridge on the Tawi, which was recently damaged in the flash floods when one of its pillars and approach road were washed away.

At the moment the gap between the damaged portion of the bridge and the approach road has been filled with soil for the passage of vehicles and proper repair will be done after technical evaluation of all the bridges on the Tawi by engineers.

The bridge had collapsed on September 6 after gushing water washed away two important bridges — one at Bagwati Nagar and another connecting Phallian Mandal with Jammu.

The construction of the bridge had started in December, 2010, at an estimated cost of Rs 93 crore to ease pressure on the existing three bridges on the river. The three bridges had been facing tremendous stress of traffic due to plying of thousands of vehicles everyday.

Since its inauguration by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in May 2013, the bridge, connecting Nehru Market side and Bhagwati Nagar, was ensuring diversion of traffic towards itself.

It connects Ware House from Satwari via Belli Charana and Bhagwati Nagar. “The traffic scenario in the city is hopeless with traffic jams occurring at various crowded locations besides many others busy crossings,” said Sunil Sharma, a local resident.

Across J&K, more than 550 bridges/culverts and 6,000-km road network have been damaged in the floods.

Traffic congestion in the city is emerging as a big problem as over 50,000 vehicles are being added every year to the already overcrowded roads of the city. The total road length in the city is 704.22 km and per kilometre density of vehicles is 574. The situation has been worsening with every passing day with the addition of cars, tractors, motorcycles, trucks, Matadors and buses in the city.

Srinagar, September 29
The coalition partners, Congress and National Conference (NC), today held a meeting and urged the Centre to provide relief to the flood victims of the state on the pattern of Uttarakhand.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi interact with flood victims in Anantnag district on Monday. Tribune photo: Amin War

The Congress was led by its president, Sonia Gandhi, and the NC by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

At the meeting, held at the Nehru guest house late this afternoon, Sonia Gandhi was accompanied by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and party leaders, Ambika Soni, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Saifuddin Soz, sources said.

The sources said the Chief Minister was accompanied by his Cabinet colleagues from both parties. The meeting reviewed the damage caused by the floods and relief measures being taken for the flood-affected people of the state.

Sonia and Rahul, who arrived here today on a two-day visit of the flood-affected areas of Jammu and Kashmir, had a hectic day as they interacted with flood victims and distributed relief material among them.

The Congress leaders first visited Wantapora in the Dooru area of Anantnag district in south Kashmir and later reached Arwah in the Beerwah area of Budgam district.

In Dooru, the Congress president distributed relief packets, which included rice, bread, biscuits, sugar and oil.

In the Beerwah area, the Congress leaders distributed relief packets, entered into some of the damaged houses and interacted with flood victims. Rahul also visited Boatmen Colony on the outskirts of Srinagar where some of the displaced flood victims were camping.

Earlier, Sonia, Rahul and Soni were received by Azad and Soz at the airport.

Srinagar, September 29
On the intervening night of September 7 and 8, when the devastating deluge had ravaged parts of the Kashmir region, thousands of panic-stricken people started reaching the gates of Raj Bhawan, pleading for help.

There were crying babies, wailing women and nervous men seeking refuge from death that was nearing them as a mountain of water had crashed over the city. Most of them were tourists, migrant labourers and locals, attempting to reach Nehru helipad. One has to go through the gates of Raj Bhawan to reach the helipad. All the gates of Raj Bhawan connecting Gupkar to Chashma Shahi and Nishat in Srinagar were also thrown open on the directions of Governor N N Vohra.

It was the time when the state government and its machinery were made defunct by the deluge and no state official was present to provide help; Raj Bhawan opened its gates and turned into a saviour for the flood-hit population.

Provided food, shelter

The distressed people were crying for help as there were no toilets, no food and water. At this point of time, the Raj Bhawan staff under the guidance of R K Gupta, Principal Secretary to the Governor, gave 10 dry tents of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board to the stranded and BSF men arranged food and water for them for the first three days. Rice and “dal” were served to the stranded people.

The high-security Raj Bhawan opened itself for the flood-affected people and helped them escape the fury of water and get airlifted to the Srinagar airport for their onward journey. Thousands of distressed people —- tourists and locals —- sought refuge at Raj Bhawan from the floodwaters that was surrounding them and shrinking the landscape into a monstrous sea of hopelessness.

“The Governor directed the opening of the gates as thousands of tourists, government employees and common people began to gather around Raj Bhawan. There was a threat of law and order but Vohra was firm on his decision to help the stranded people,” a source said. In the coming days, tens of thousands of pedestrians would walk through Raj Bhawan.

The gates were kept open for the movement of public and the official machinery as the water level at the Dal lake rose dangerously and submerged the Boulevard Road. Trucks, tippers and bodies of flood victims were moved through these gates during the most distressing days of the region.

Brought succour

All roads connecting south Kashmir districts and Srinagar city were also flooded when the Governor took this crucial decision on “humanitarian grounds”, said Nazir Ahmad, one of the flood victims who moved through Raj Bhawan to reach Zakura. “The timely response and quick decision saved the crisis from turning into a disaster,” he added.

The southern, central and western parts of Srinagar, where dozens of residential and commercial neighbourhoods are located, were flooded in an unprecedented deluge on September 6-7 night, affecting the city of million people. The civil secretariat, the headquarters of the state government, was also submerged.

Ali Mohammad, a resident of Abi Guzar locality, said his son Imran Ali was reluctant to take the route through Raj Bhawan for security reasons. “I insisted as that was the only escape route and we were not stopped anywhere,” he said, recollecting his flight from the flood.

Reunited families

The gates of Raj Bhawan also provided a chance for the distressed families to reconnect as people could, for the first time, reach out to their missing kin when mobile connectivity and all government helplines were shutdown.

Recounting one case out of the numerous such instances, a family in south Kashmir’s Bijbehara town walked the entire distance —nearly 40 km — to old Srinagar to meet their relatives. It was the only contact made in days amidst hopelessness and a fear of death. “We walked over several mountains before we managed to reach Gupkar. From there, we entered through Raj Bhawan and started the journey again through mountains and reached the old city,” the Bijbehara resident said.

Later, the Raj Bhawan gates were also open to vehicular traffic — official, public and private — as it was the only road connecting the city centre and localities of Nishat, Shalimar, Harwan and Dhara.

Raj Bhawan kept its gates open for everyone till the water level receded and road connectivity was resumed.

Srinagar, September 29
The floods in Jammu and Kashmir have affected more than 12.5 lakh families and caused damage to public and private property worth thousands of crores. The state government has written to the Prime Minister for a special package for handling relief and rehabilitation.

Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey here today said a detailed memorandum was being readied and would be submitted to the Centre after receiving the approval of the Cabinet.

Addressing a press conference, the Chief Secretary said 5,642 villages were affected across the state, 2,489 in the Kashmir valley and 3,153 in Jammu division.

He said 800 villages remained submerged for over two weeks. He said 281 lives had been lost due to the floods. A total of 196 lives were lost in Jammu province and 85 in the Kashmir valley.

Twentynine persons have been reported missing in the floods, he said.

Khandey said, as per the initial assessment reports received by the government on damages to the private property, a total of 3,53,864 structures had been reported damaged. He said 83,044 pucca houses had been fully damaged and 96,089 partially. Similarly, 21,162 kutcha houses had been fully damaged and 54,264 partially. A total of 99,305 huts and cowsheds had also been damaged, he said.

He said the crops had suffered damage of Rs 6,611 crore, including Rs 4,043 crore to agricultural crops and Rs 1,568 crore to horticultural crops.

He said 6.51 lakh hectares of land had been affected due to the floods. In addition, 10,050 milch animals and 33,000 sheep and goats had perished in the floods.

The Chief Secretary said the public utilities and infrastructure, including roads, infrastructure of water supply schemes, irrigation and power had also been damaged and losses to these sectors were assessed at Rs 3,000 crore.

In addition, government residential colonies and tourism infrastructure had suffered damaged to the tune of Rs 5,000 crore.

Khandey further said more than 550 bridges and culverts had been damaged, which had affected the road connectivity.

He said immediate repairs were undertaken and the connectivity at most places had been restored.

In addition, 6,000 km of the road network was also damaged in the floods.

He said infrastructure of 3,000 water supply schemes was affected, however, most of it had been restored temporarily and drinking water was being supplied. He said RO machines had been set up to provide clean water to the people.

Similarly, 3,000 power sub-stations, transmission towers and lines were also affected throughout the state, however, electricity to 90 per cent of the areas had been restored.

Jammu, September 29
A BJP team Monday visited Kalri, Mahanpur and Sulari in Basohli and Parnala, Pallan, Phinter and Mandli in Billawar to assess the ground situation on the third day of their tour of flood-affected areas.

It comprises election campaign committee chairman Nirmal Singh, national executive member Shamsher Singh Manhas, state general secretary Rajeev Jasrotia and MLAs Durga Dass and Jagdish Sapolia.

Speaking about the situation in these areas, Nirmal Singh said it was unfortunate that flood-affected families had not been given due care and attention by the state government.

He said roads, bridges and crops had been washed away and houses damaged, but the government had failed to reach far-flung areas and left the affected under the open sky.

He said BJP activists had been distributing relief collected from the public in Jammu and other states. He added that party activists would continue to extend every possible help to the affected.

Manhas said people who had suffered due to rain and floods had been repeatedly approaching the local administration for help.

He alleged that only a few who had links with National Conference and Congress leaders were getting benefits while genuinely affected families were being ignored.

He said government agencies should adopted a humane approach and discharge duties honestly in this hour of sorrow and grief.

He said mere promises and assurances of the Chief Minister would not mitigate the suffering of the people and Omar Abdullah should deal with departments concerned with a firm hand.

Srinagar, September 29
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today called for a high-level inquiry into the management of the floods. He said it needed to be conclusively established whether every effort was made to save Srinagar and other areas from the deluge.

Addressing a meeting of the senior party leaders, legislators, constituency in charges and prominent workers here, Mufti said there was an impression that the “established flood control practices were not followed” which could be the reason for widespread destruction of the capital city.

The meeting was convened to take stock of the unprecedented devastation caused by the floods.

“The floods had resulted in complete collapse of the command and control system, besides hitting the jugular vein of Kashmir’s economy. The focus of the flood control strategy in Kashmir has always been the safety of the capital as any damage to the seat of power and hub of business affects the entire state. The sequence of events suggest that the centuries-old established procedure was not followed fully, which could have contributed to the catastrophe,” he said.

Mufti said such an event having taken place despite advance warnings and the rise in the water levels for a week indicated criminal negligence in meeting the challenge, which called for fixing the responsibility for such a costly failure that had taken lives, properties, businesses, official and personal records and public infrastructure.

“Inquiry is also unavoidable to prevent dereliction of duty in the future, if that is established,” said Mufti.

Mufti said the damage caused to residential houses and business premises, merchandise and industry, tourism, agriculture and horticulture was colossal and heartrending and would need a massive effort by all to rebuild Kashmir and the lives of its residents. 

Srinagar, September 29
The Private Schools United Front (PSUF), an organisation representing 1,200 private schools of the Valley, today said it was ready to start the academic session and could not afford to waste further precious time of the students.

General secretary of the Private Schools United Front GN Var told The Tribune, on the sidelines of a press conference in Srinagar today, that the alternative of mass promotion as suggested by some groups could not be adopted. He said making examinations a lot easier and cutting short the academic syllabi could be considered.

Var said if the delay or cancellation of annual examinations by the state board was considered, that would lead to wastage of one precious academic year, particularly of those students whointend to appear in national-level competitive examinations.

He said as per preliminary assessment by the Private Schools United Front, the private school sector of the Valley had suffered a loss of approximately Rs 4,000 crore.

“Our buildings worth crores of rupees have been damaged. We have lost computers, stationery, school data of more than a decade, record of students and school buses,” said Var.

“Some of our schools have been fully damaged and we have to start from zero,” he said.

The Private Schools United Front said unlike the government schools, there was no support to private schools and all were self-made.

“Most of our schools are without any insurance cover. We had invested our hard-earned money in building the school infrastructure but everything has been lost,” said Var.

The Private Schools United Front further said it was ready to provide fee waivers to the flood-affected students but urged the state government to devise a comprehensive education policy, aimed at reviving the education sector in the Valley and provide scholarships to students.

Var said the relief package for private school teachers should also be considered by the state government.

The Front has also suggested a private-public partnership model to the state government for urging the corporate sector to invest in private education in Kashmir.

“In the coming days, we will visit corporate offices in New Delhi and raise awareness about the impact of the floods on the education sector in the state. We are confident that under corporate social responsibility, they would be ready to help,” Var said.

Ramban, September 29
Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Ramban Ashok Kumar concluded a three-day tour to flood-affected areas Doda district.

During his visit the legislator visited Kuddhar and Lalur villages and reviewed the damage to houses and other properties due to flash floods and landslides. Kumar also inspected the ongoing projects under the flagship programmes.

He also inaugurated the recently upgraded Government High School at Kuddhar, constructed under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA). The Chief Education Officer, Doda, and Chief Planning Officer were present.

Kumar demanded early construction of the Lalur link road, approved under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.

In Lalur, the legislator demanded upgrading the middle school under the RMSA and a sub-centre.

The MLA also addressed the people during a foot and mouth disease prevention-cum-awareness camp at Parnote under the All India Coordinated Research Programme.

He urged the government to open more veterinary dispensaries, especially in the remote villages.

During the camp, 32 blood samples of young cattle were collected for testing by a team led by Dr Vinita, an epidemiologist. — OC

Jammu, September 29
The Jammu region, which has suffered huge loss of life and property with around 90 per cent villages affected by the floods, has not featured on the radar of the Centre and the state government in terms of assistance as it should have been.

So far, only 1,519.03 quintals of ration has been distributed in the region and the relief operation seems to be non-functional as the administration has reportedly adopted a non-serious attitude.

As many as 3,153 of the 3,729 villages in the mountainous region have been affected in the worst ever floods in the state. Government assistance has not reached the victims yet.

Jammu district is the worst affected in terms of infrastructure with 817 villages hit by the floods and around 3,06,000 people affected. Rajouri district has recorded 93 deaths with several still missing.

The districts of Poonch, Reasi and Udhampur have been severely hit. Heavy rain has disrupted life in Samba, Kathua, Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar districts as well.

Saddal village in Udhampur district has been completely buried under debris after a landslide. Official data has put total loss of life in the Jammu region during floods at 196 with 19 still missing and 156 injured.

The death toll is 35 in Udhampur district, 27 in Poonch, 20 in Reasi, 10 in Jammu, six in Kishtwar, three in Kathua and one each in Doda and Ramban.

The administration in all 10 districts has not prepared detailed assessment reports of losses due to floods, which is hampering preparation of the final report to be submitted to the government for a detailed relief and rehabilitation package.

Thousands of trucks carrying relief material from outside Jammu and Kashmir have been brought to the state, but the administration has distributed only 1,519.03 quintals of ration in the Jammu region till September 24. Ration has not been distributed in Poonch, Samba, Kathua, Doda and Kishtwar districts.

A meagre quantity of ration has been distributed in other districts with 122.58 quintals in Jammu district, 272.85 quintals in Udhampur, 769.45 quintals in Reasi and 354.15 quintals in Ramban.

Ration has been distributed in 28 small trucks in Rajouri district. Other relief material which has been distributed in the Jammu region includes tents and blankets.

A total of 1,290 tents and 13,645 blankets have been distributed in the region. Thousands of people have been rendered homeless and are in dire need of relief material.

Rajouri, September 29
As the district administration is in the process of assessing the losses to the houses, agriculture land and water mills, many NGOs, social and religious organisations have come forward to provide succour to the flood victims of Rajouri district.

More than 9,500 houses were damaged, 3,048 of them fully in the floods and landslides in the district.

Most of the people have been taking shelter in government buildings or in tents.

The organisations have been providing tents, blankets, kitchen kits, ration and biscuits to the victims of the natural calamity.

On Sunday, followers of Ramakrishna Mission, led by Nirantranda Ji Maharaj, distributed 1,700 tin roof sheets and 850 cement bags among the flood victims of far-flung areas in Budhal.

The material was distributed among the beneficiaries so that they could construct their temporary houses under the supervison of Israr Ahmed Mir, tehsildar, Vishal Manhas, Station House Officer, and Farooq Inqalabi, chairman, Budhal United Front (BUF).

The material was distributed on the recommendations of the BUF whose members had visited the victims in the far-flung areas, including in Mahore tehsil under the jurisdiction of Reasi district.

“Our main aim is to rehabilitate the affected families and their first requirement was to have their own shelters. The Ramakrishna Mission will continue its mission to help the flood victims of other areas in the district,” said the secretary of the Mission.

Jammu, September 29
Expressing concern over colossal loss to life and property due to floods and landslides in the wake of recent torrential rains across the Jammu region, the National Conference (NC) on Monday sought a massive Central assistance for rehabilitation of flood victims and reconstruction of damaged infrastructure.

“The natural calamity has wrecked the entire state, rendered Kashmir in deluge and caused widespread damages to the Jammu region,” said Devender Singh Rana, NC provincial president, after concluding a weeklong visit to the most flood-hit areas of the region along with senior leaders, including Planning Minister Ajay Sadhotra.

He said over 15,000 dwelling units have been totally damaged and 35,000 partially due to flash floods and landslides in the various districts of Jammu region. “Massive damage have also been caused to standing crops, livestock and public utility services. Of the total 300 casualties in the state, nearly 200 causalities have been reported from the Jammu region,” he said, adding that though the Omar Abdullah-led government undertook timely rescue and relief operations yet more is required to be done immediately.

“For this purpose, a massive Central funding has become imperative,” he added.

While hailing compensation of preliminary Rs 75,000 per fully damaged house, the NC provincial president urged the Centre to enhance it to Rs 5 lakh, as recommended by the Chief Minister.

He said the working season being limited and the winter not far away, the situation calls for a holistic view in terms of realistic assessment of damages. “Accordingly, the assistance is needed to be released so that rehabilitation and reconstruction is taken up on the war-footing,” said Rana.

The NC provincial president regretted politics being played on the natural calamity and hoped that good sense prevails upon those trying to take political mileage out of the human tragedy.

Jammu, September 29
A BJP team will reach Srinagar Tuesday to assess the ground situation in the Valley even though Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed reservations over conducting Assembly elections at this juncture.

After visiting areas in the Valley, the team will submit its report to the party high command to decide the stand on the Assembly elections. Sources said the team led by state BJP president Jugal Kishore Sharma would reach Srinagar Tuesday.

“During its three-day stay, the team will visit various areas in the Valley to assess the situation in the aftermath of floods,” the sources said.

They added that the purpose of this visit was interaction with a cross-section of society to get views on conducting Assembly elections at a point of time when rehabilitation and relief operations were going on.

BJP insiders said the party was divided on the issue of conducting Assembly elections at this juncture. A group within the party had been mounting pressure on the party high command against postponing the Assembly elections.

The other group was of the opinion that going in for elections at a time when most parts of the state were battling the situation in the aftermath of the floods would send a very wrong message to the people.

The group opposing postponement of Assembly elections argued that there was a strong wave in favour of the BJP, especially in Jammu province, and any delay in conducting Assembly elections would prove disastrous for the party.

Buoyed over the victory of the party in the recent Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had set sights on “Mission 44” for Assembly elections to instal a “nationalist” government in the state. All other parties had made public their stand on holding Assembly elections at this juncture.

The tenure of Omar Abdullah government would end on January 19 next year. The sources said the BJP high command had directed some leaders to visit the Valley to assess the ground situation due to divergent views on holding elections.

BJP leaders had officially said they would visit Kashmir to review relief and rehabilitation operations in the Valley, but the unofficial purpose was to gauge whether or not the situation was conducive for holding elections at this point of time.

Srinagar, September 29
Stressing on the need to utilise resources and efforts for relief and rehabilitation of lakhs of flood victims ‘for the sake of humanity’, moderate Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Monday called upon civil society to play an active role in removing obstacles in flow of international aid into Kashmir.

Mirwaiz issued the press note after meeting a delegation of civil society members at his Nageen residence. The delegation included journalist and Centre for Policy Analysis director Seema Mustafa, Press Club of India president Anand Sahai, journalist Bula Devi and Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson Tushar Gandhi.

Mirwaiz apprised them of the situation due to the floods. “He said the government had failed to deal with the crisis,” the Hurriyat said in the press note.

Asserting that flood-hit Kashmiris had been left on the mercy of the Almighty, the APHC chairman stated that many friendly countries and international aid organisations were willing to help Kashmir, but hoped that the Government of India would not create any hurdle.

Mirwaiz told the delegation that the local youth and other local welfare organisations had played a daredevil role to rescue people from their submerged houses and ferry them to safety. “He said stories of voluntary efforts in coming to rescue of flood-hit victims were completely blacked out by the media,” the Hurriyat said.

Asking civil society to use its influence for allowing international aid into Kashmir, Mirwaiz stated that local resources were too meagre to deal with the magnitude of destruction caused by the floods.

“He said the Government of India should focus on removing obstacles in way of flow of international aid into Kashmir,” the Hurriyat said in the press note.

Srinagar, September 29
Though the flood waters spared the house of Ghulam Nabi Dar, a farmer in the Sonawari belt of north Kashmir, his paddy fields were inundated and the crop this season totally lost.

Apart from losing the crop, Dar has also lost the fodder for his livestock as it has been also muddied by the flood waters. Like Dar, there are countless farmers across the Kashmir region whose standing crops have been washed away by the recent floods.

Then there are also those farmers whose farm lands have been washed away by the flashfloods which were caused in many parts of Kashmir before September 7, when riding Jhelum inundated the Srinagar city.

The Agriculture Department, in its survey report to the government, has put the damage to the crops and fodder at staggering Rs 3,675 crore. This loss excludes the damage suffered by the farmers on account of soil erosion, which the authorities say would cost another Rs 453 crore.

“The floods not only damaged my apple orchards, but also inundated the paddy crop, which was ready for harvesting,” said Ghulam Nabi Dar from Sonawari in north Kashmir, where the floods have inundated thousands of hectares of apple orchards and paddy fields, besides other crops like rajma (kidney beans) and maize.

Even as the flood waters have receded in Srinagar city, lying farm fields and orchards in hundreds of villages across the Kashmir region continue to remain inundated.

The authorities say nearly 3 lakh hectares of agriculture land has been affected by the recent floods.

Anantnag in south, Budgam in central Kashmir and Baramulla in north are the worst hit as far as agriculture is concerned, the authorities said.

“In our report to the government, we have estimated losses and damage to the agriculture sector in Kashmir to the tune of Rs 3,675 crore, which includes damages to both crops and fodder,” Director, Agriculture, Kashmir, Peerzada Mushtaq Ahmad told The Tribune.

He added that the floods have also eroded thousands of kanals of farm land, which is estimated to cost around 435 crore under the “reclamation plan”.

The report to the government, the damage to the agriculture sector, particularly crops have been categorised in two segments.

One is the direct damage to the standing crops like rice, maize and rajma due to inundation by the floodwaters and another is the damage to the crops in non-flooded areas due to “unseasonal and incessant rains”.

“ The crops falling in the first segment have suffered total loss. Even the fodder which could have been obtained from it by the farmers for the livestock is also damaged, whereas, the crops under second category have suffered 70 per cent damage,” Mushtaq added.

Even as the Agriculture Department in its report to the government has recommended compensation to the affected farmers under State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF), however the amount recommended is too meager to compensate the actual losses suffered by the farmers.

Under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), the farmer who has suffered damage to the crops on irrigated land would be compensated at Rs 450 per kanal, whereas the farmer who has suffered loss to his crops on rain fed land would be compensated at Rs 250 per kanal.

Likewise, the compensation given to the farmers for the perennial crops like saffron is Rs 600 per kanal.

Srinagar, September 29
As the devastating floods washed away all the belongings of the people in the posh colonies of Srinagar, the flood victims long for the memories they left behind while running for survival.

Suhail Ahmad, a student, used to pen down the thoughts which he could not share with anyone, but with his personal diary lost in the floods he is in shock.

“I am in trauma. I know everything will be built again a big house, a car, everything else, but I do not know how to cope with the lost memories. My diary had become my companion, the things that I would not share with anyone were listed in it. It feels as if I have lost someone very close to me,” said Suhail, who lives in the posh Rajbagh area which is still inundated in two feet water.

With no proper warning or precautionary announcements from the government in the most parts of Srinagar, people left all their belongings in abandoned houses. Little did they know that it was the last time they were seeing their prized possession.

“It gives me a heart ache. What we have lost…I don’t know how to come to terms with it. The floods did not give us time to take our precious things along. I lost the photo album of my marriage. My husband is not alive. The album was all I had, it was the whole world for me,” said Shaheena while holding back her tears.

“I had never seen my grandfather alive. We had a single photo frame of his at our home, the floods took away that as well. It was the only memory of him,” said Shaziya Habib whose house in Nowgam Srinagar collapsed in floods.

Being homeless from the last 20 days, Shaziya said her parents were inconsolable.

Many had no idea that the floods would leave them devastated, snatching even their lifelong memories.

“I try to console my wife that everything will be fine again. I have no idea what happened to all the things at my home. Children ask me about their toys, I have no answer to their innocent queries,” said Muhammad Yousuf, who visits the Solina bund everyday but is not able to go to his house in Jawahar Nagar, which remains submerged.

Srinagar, September 29
Even three weeks after the unprecedented floods ravaged the Valley, thousands here are not sure if they will be in a position to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha a week from now.

Scores remain homeless in Srinagar after losing virtually all their possessions after waters from the Jhelum flooded their houses. Traders who too lost everything are not sure when they can bounce back.

Eid-ul-Azha, the holiest Muslim festival, falls October 6.

Residential and commercial areas of Rajbagh, Jawahar Nagar, Wazirbagh, Kursoo, Gogjibagh, Bemina, Qamarwari, Padshahi Bagh and Mehjoor Nagar are still under flood waters.

“We went home to retrieve some documents. We hired a boat to reach our home...everything we had...television, fridge, washing machine, bedding, furniture and wardrobes, have been destroyed,” moaned Nisar Hussain.

“The problem is that unless we are able to move in to clean the house and take out flood soaked items, we cannot live there till the next year as winter is approaching fast,” said a resident of Gogjibagh.

The heart of Srinagar’s commerce and trade, the Residency Road, Lal Chowk, Maisuma and Hari Singh High Street, have been cleared of stagnant flood water. But trading and other commercial activity is unlikely to start soon because shopkeepers are still removing their flood damaged merchandise and cleaning their establishments.

“Business is unlikely to be resumed till the Eid and even later,” said Showkat Ahmad, a shopkeeper in the Hari Singh High Street market where mud and slush are still over a foot deep in the shops.

The problem with the dewatering process in Srinagar is that almost all the work is being done through water pumps of the fire services department and by affording cuts in the embankments of the Jhelum.

Water in the Jhelum and the flood-spill channel which overflowed the embankments during the catastrophe is now much lower than that in the inundated areas.

“We have made a number of cuts in the embankments of the Jhelum to drain out water from residential areas,” said a senior engineer of the Jammu and Kashmir Flood Control Department.

What baffles logic is that most mechanical dewatering in Srinagar city is being done by fire service engines.

Almost all the dewatering pump stations in the inundated areas were submerged by floods and became non-functional.

“The fire service engines have very little capacity since these are designed to take water from small water points and sources,” an official said.

“Nowhere in the world are these used for dewatering, and that too for a crisis of this magnitude,” said another engineer, who did not want to be named.

The state-run ONGC had sent special high capacity dewatering pumps to Srinagar but reportedly these have now been flown back as no operator from the state mechanical department knew how to work these pumps.

“This is a crime which must be probed and responsibility fixed. What can be more callous than the ONGC pumps being returned because we did not have operators?” said a fuming Nisar Hussain as he held a packet of water soaked certificates and bank fixed deposit receipts he managed to retrieve from his Gogjibagh home.

The unprecedented floods that ravaged Jammu and Kashmir killed 315 people, 81 of them in the Kashmir and 234 in the Jammu region.

While the loss of life was more in the Jammu region due to flash floods and landslides, the damage to public and private property and agriculture has been huge in the Valley.

A total of 45 people died in Srinagar city. The Army rescued over 2,86,000 marooned people in the state. But tens of thousands are still staring at uncertainty. — IANS

Srinagar, September 29
The State Bank of India (SBI) has made 63 out of their 67 branches fully functional in the Valley. A SBI spokesperson today said only four branches located in inundated areas of Badshah Chowk, Badami Bagh, Jawahar Nagar and Rajbagh in Srinagar city were yet to be made operational.

He said the four branches had suffered extensive damage to equipment and would take “some more time” to be made operational.

Customers of these branches can avail banking facility at nearby branches of our bank for the time being, he said. Stating that 132 ATMs in the Valley were operating normally, the bank spokesperson said SBI had also deployed seven mobile ATMs in still inaccessible points of the city.

He also said the SBI would soon launch rehabilitation and restructuring scheme for the affected customers.

Srinagar, September 29
While encroachments on the banks of the Jhelum and illegal constructions along various water bodies are being largely blamed for the devastating floods in the Valley, illegal constructions have again started coming up in flood-hit areas of Kashmir.

Sources said many residents of Srinagar and Budgam districts were taking advantage of the floods and had started illegal constructions.

The J&K Police have registered a case against five persons for constructing illegal structures on the Doodh Ganga stream at Chadoora in Budgam last week.

Sources said the Flood and Irrigation Department had lodged a complaint with the police and sought criminal proceedings against the law-breakers so as to ensure that they were not able to continue the constructions on the waterway.

“We have registered a case against those involved in raising illegal structures on the waterway,” said a police officer.

“There were a few illegal structures on the waterway which were washed away by the floods. Now they have started raising these structures again,” he said.

Many temporary shops are being constructed in concrete in the city centre here while officials are acting as mute spectators.

“The shops at Regal Lane on the Residency Road and few other areas, which had been allotted temporarily, are now being made in concrete,” said Parvaiz Wani, a Srinagar resident.

“The Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) should act immediately and ensure that no one takes the advantage of the present situation. Illegal constructions should not be allowed at any cost as we have suffered immensely because of them,” he said.

The SMC, which is responsible for stopping the illegal constructions, is days busy with the massive cleaning operation after the floods.

“The issue has been brought to our notice and we will not allow anyone to raise illegal structures in the city,” said a SMC official.

Shopkeepers at the Regal Lane, however, say they had been paying rent to the SMC and the shops were legal.

“Our shops were damaged due to the floods so we are constructing the structures afresh,” said a shopkeeper.

Meanwhile, there are reports from other parts of city that houses are being constructed illegally without permission as the government is busy with the relief and rehabilitation process. 

Srinagar, September 29
The Bar Association has decided to adopt 100 “deserving” flood-affected families for their rehabilitation.

In a statement here, the lawyers’ body said it has constituted a committee for preparing the list of at least 100 deserving families/ households of Kashmir which would be adopted for their rehabilitation by the Bar Association. “The funds for the purpose will be raised from the members of the Bar Association and as soon as the hundred families/households are identified by the committee constituted for the purpose, the relief in the shape of food, clothing, bedding, utensils etc… shall be provided by the Bar Association,” said Bar General Secretary M Ashraf Bhat.

“This will be in addition to the relief provided/or to be provided to 134 members of the Association, whose houses have either collapsed or have developed cracks due to the recent rains and floods,” he added. — TNS

Srinagar, September 29
The Jammu and Kashmir government today expressed hope that the Centre will approve its Rs 2,200-crore project for construction of a second flood spill channel that will be able to handle the kind of water discharge witnessed during the recent floods which claimed more than 280 lives and destroyed property worth thousands of crores.

"I am sure the project costing Rs 2,200 crore will be sanctioned by the Government of India," Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khandey told reporters here.

He said the project for construction of a second flood spill channel from Sangam in Anantnag district in south Kashmir to the Wullar Lake in Bandipora district in north Kashmir was submitted to the Centre in 2007 and Rs 97 crore were released in 2010.

"There were some arguments back and forth but the project has not yet been sanctioned," he said.

Khandey said the Kashmir floods will be a classic case for study to prevent urban floods.

Secretary, Flood Control Department, Pawan Kotwal said the proposed second flood spill channel has the capacity to hold 1,20,000 cusec water that the Jhelum carried on September 6 which inundated large parts of the Valley.

"It is essential for the whole Valley to have a flood management project," Kotwal said, even as he admitted that encroachments on the banks of the river and illegal constructions were also responsible for the floods.

The official said the funds released by the Centre were used for dredging the existing flood channel, which enhanced its capacity by 9,000 cusec.

"We have also carried out dredging in Jhelum downstream at Baramulla, increasing the capacity of the river there to 30,000 cusec. This saved the Baramulla town and surrounding areas from getting inundated," he added.

Kotwal said the department has sought help from National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) experts to study the cause of sudden rise for water level in river Jhelum.

"We have requested for satellite image data for studying the reasons for the rise of water level," he added. — PTI

Srinagar, September 29
The police Monday arrested an absconding Special Police Officer (SPO) of the Sopore area in north Kashmir who had allegedly joined the Lashkar-e-Toiba.

SPO Mohammad Shafi Dar of Nowpora in Sopore went missing during duty in Sopore last month and took his service rifle. The police said he had later joined Lashkar. “Mohammad Shafi Dar, alias Ukasha, was arrested after an intelligence input by the Sopore police,” a police official said.

“An AK-47 rifle with three magazines and 90 rounds of ammunition were recovered from his possession,” he added. Dar had been working with the elite counter-insurgency unit of the police in Seelu. Officials asked him to report to the District Police Lines in Sopore last month, but he did not do so.

The police claimed that the SPO-turned-militant was a close associate of slain Lashkar commander Abdullah Yuni. Dar had been appointed SPO in 2011 after his surrender, they added.

Meanwhile, the Army and the police Monday busted a militant hideout in Kupwara district. A cache of arms and ammunition was recovered.

“Based on specific input, a joint operation was launched in the Wodhpura forest. The recovery included three Chinese pistols, two Chinese pistol magazines, 30 rounds of Chinese pistol ammunition, three AK magazines and one radio antenna,” an Army official said. Three days ago, the Sopore police, along with the 22 Rastriya Rifles, busted a militant module of the Hizbul Mujaideen operating in the town and arrested four militants.

They are Yawer Muzafar Bhat, alias Yawar Tanga, alias Muz Tanga, a resident of Mumkak Batpora in Sopore; Shoib-ul-Hamid, alias Shoib Peetal, a resident Batpora in Sopore; Ansar Bin Altaf, alias Ansar Dar, a resident of Batpora; and Riyaz Ahmad Dar, a resident of Naseer Abad in Sopore.

Jammu, September 29
Aarohi Kala Sangeet Vidhalya today organised musical programme “Sur Tarang” at KL Saigal Hall. Darmesh Nargotra was the chief guest, while Ashutosh Sharma was the guest of honour on the occasion.

The programme started with “Saraswati vandana” and followed by devotional group songs “Aaradhana karu tumhari” and “Khuda se mango milega”.

Haripriya Gupta and Kunwar presented light Bollywood songs on the occasion, which were highly appreciated by the audience.

Rishan, Shammi, Prashant, Anadhika and Aarti also performed on the occasion.

Jammu, September 29
Judicial Magistrate, Jammu, Susheel Singh today granted absolute bail to Pooja, daughter of K Rajendra, Director General of Police, J&K. She was earlier given interim bail on September 26.

While making interim bail absolute, the Judicial Magistrate observed: “The accused was admitted to interim bail on September 26, 2014, subject to furnishing bail bond of Rs 20,000 subject to the condition that the accused person shall appear before the investigating officer for two hours daily, ie from 11 am to 1 pm and shall cooperate with the investigating agency for smooth and early completion of investigation. She shall not try to intimidate the evidence of the prosecution in any manner and will not leave the jurisdiction of the court without prior permission.”

The Judicial Magistrate observed that “it appears that the applicant had appeared before the investigating officer and fully cooperated with the investigating agency for taking the investigation to its logical conclusion and also complied with other conditions imposed by the court while admitting her to the interim bail”

“As the applicant complied with all the conditions imposed by the court, the investigation in the case is almost complete, so in view of the court it will be in the interest of justice in case the interim bail granted to the applicant is made absolute", the Magistrate held.

The Magistrate held that since the applicant is a student and studying in Delhi, as such, she is at liberty to pursue her studies in Delhi, but directed her not to leave the country without permission till the disposal of main chargesheet.

Jammu, September 29
The Acharya Shri Chander College of Medical Sciences (ASCOMS) and Hospital has set up a medical relief centre on the Yatri Niwas premises of Shri Sanatan Dharam Partap Sabha, Lal Chowk, Srinagar, to provide medical aid to the people of flood affected areas.

A team of doctors, comprising Dr Syed Uzair Yawar, Dr Wani Zahid Hussain, Dr Suhail Masood, and Dr Mohammad Zaium, and paramedical staff and medical supplies were flagged off by DK Batra, joint secretary, and Dr RP Kudyar, Director Principal, ASCOMS Hospital.

Dr SS Soodan, Director, Medical, ASCOMS, Dr Satish K Sharma, Medical Superintendent, Dr Tirath Singh, Assistant Medical Superintendent, Satinder Verma, Matron, and other staff members were present at the flagging off ceremony.

Dr Aijaz Ahmed Bhat, Dr Farhan Khan, Dr Avinash Koul and Dr Mohammad Naseed will also join the camp.

The management, staff and students expressed gratitude to the team members who have volunteered to go to Srinagar and help in setting up the camp to provide medical services to the affected people. The camp will remain functional initially for two weeks and may be extended.

Jammu, September 29
The Air Force station, Jammu, today launched a cleanliness drive under the Union Government initiative “Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan”.

Air Force personnel and families participated in the event with full zeal and fervor. Schoolchildren of Air Force School, Jammu, also joined the campaign with enthusiasm. Colourful placards with slogans and message were displayed by schoolchildren to spread the awareness of cleanliness among the masses.

On the occasion, Air Commodore Ashutosh Lal, Air Officer Commanding, Air Force station, Jammu, addressed the personnel and stressed on the importance of clean surroundings and environment for a better and healthy life.

Air Force personnel, in two teams, carried out the cleaning in and outside the camp area. The great efforts put in by the personnel of the Air Force station made the campaign a big success.