Srinagar, Sep 10: Srinagar/ New Delhi, Sep 10: About 4 lakh people are still stranded and desperate for help in flood-ravaged Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), where heavy rain has eased helping the massive multi-agency rescue and relief efforts.
The toll in the worst floods to hit the state in six decades was reported to be around 200.The armed forces and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have so far rescued 47,227 people from different regions of the state, including almost 24,000 from Srinagar, the worst-affected area. The Army has deployed 220 columns for rescue and relief operations, in which 135 columns have been deployed in Srinagar region and 85 columns in Jammu region. The BSNL has launched operations on a war-footing with the Army and Air Force to restore mobile services through satellite network, officials said.
A part of the communication network might be restored by Wednesday, said officials in the Army, which is now providing satellite-based communication links to the chief minister, chief secretary and the director-general of police.A total of 61 Air Force choppers and transport aircraft undertook 451 sorties non-stop overnight to carry men and relief material to submerged areas where about 1 lakh troops were engaged in the rescue operations, said Defence Spokesperson Col S D Goswami.
The Army rescued Nepal Ambassador Ranjit Rae and a group of 28 Pakistani citizens, including several golfers who came to Srinagar to participate in a Saarc golf tournament, in the last 24 hours.Though the Army headquarters and Defence Ministry was flooded by rescue requests from every quarter, officials maintained that they were not paying any additional attention to the VIPs and were working under a well-coordinated plan.
Lt Gen Subrata Saha of the GoC 15 Corps said: “The weather has cleared and the intensity of the helicopter operations has picked up. In Srinagar, the water level has receded by 1.5-3 feet at some places but we are noticing an increase in water level on the northern side.” The water level in Dal Lake was steadily rising. TV footage showed flood waters from the lake entering the ground around the Hazratbal shrine.A woman who is nine months pregnant was rescued from Al-Farooq colony after her sister contacted the Army through Facebook. The area was heavily flooded and two storeys of the building were under water when the Army team managed to reach the house.An additional concern for the Army is the breach in the border fence in several pockets along the Line of Control and the international border in Rajouri and Poonch.
Engineers with the 16 Corps are now repairing the breaches to ensure terrorists do not take advantage of the situation.While shortage of boats was a handicap initially, more than 200 boats have now been pressed into service and more are on way. In addition to the standard relief rations, maggie packets, ready-to-eat meals, biscuits and packed milk is being provided to the victims.“Since Monday, 7 tonnes of baby food was also sent from Udhampur,” said Maj Gen Shokin Chauhan, additional director general (public information) at the Army headquarters.
As the Leh-Srinagar road reopened, supplies were sent from Army stocks kept at Leh. The Manali-Leh road is being used to send additional supplies to Leh.The number of medical teams has gone up to 80 and a field hospital is likely to be transported to Srinagar on Wednesday.
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