With hopes of surviving the worst-ever deluge in the last 60 years fast fading away, stranded residents in some parts of Srinagar on Wednesday targeted members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and also pelted stones on Army vehicles ferrying relief material in a desperate bid to attract their attention and get evacuated.
According to reports, some youths also tried to run away with two spare boats from a relief truck, hampering the much-needed relief efforts.In a similar incident, choppers carrying supplies to Nehru helipad for stranded passengers were not allowed to land by the angry residents anticipating rescue of VVIP passengers.
Despite facing the wrath of the crowd, rescue teams continue to work tirelessly to save as many civilians as they can before it is too late. So far, over 80,000 people have been escorted to safe shelters while over four lakh people continue to remain out of reach in parts of Kashmir Valley.On Tuesday night, Army boats rescued over 7,000 people from various localities submerged in water.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also embarked on an IAF helicopter survey and dropped food packets and water bottles in worst affected areas of Srinagar. Omar termed the situation on ground zero as ‘very grim’.Earlier, the Omar Abdullah Government had also come under fire after he blamed the local residents for ignoring the early warnings issued by the State Government to shift to safer places after the water levels started rising in Jehlum River on Saturday.
Asked about the criticism of the State Government over the handling of the situation, Omar 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.
“I understand the anger (of the people). I don’t grudge them. They have gone through difficult times,” he said. Congress leader Saifuddin Soz was also heckled in one of the relief camps on Tuesday.
He said the main source of worry for him was the likely spread of diseases after the water level in flood-hit areas recedes. Meanwhile, the control rooms and social media platforms are flooded with SOS messages from loved ones who are still struggling to trace their relatives in Srinagar.
The communication lines have been partially restored even as the Army and BSNl engineers are working overtime to restore more communication lines. In an effort to revive communication in the affected areas, the Army had already provided satellite phones to the civilian administration.An additional nine satellite phones and 100 Mob Cell Communication Sets were distributed to civilian officials for coordinating the relief effort.
Taking a serious note of the targeted attacks on NDRF personnel, the Union Government on Wednesday rushed NDRF chief OP Singh to Srinagar to monitor the relief operations and evolve a mechanism ensuring safety of rescue workers.
Army Chief General Dalbir Singh also landed in Srinagar on Wednesday to take stock of the flood situation and ongoing relief operations.After attending the briefing in Srinagar, General Singh reiterated the Army’s commitment to continue with relief operations till the last person is rescued.
In Jammu as the situation remained normal the Army engineers managed to restore two crucial road links on Tawi River and in Poonch by laying bridges in record time.The work of repairing the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway is also picking pace despite inclement weather conditions. The road link to Poonch was also thrown open for light motor vehicles.
The BRO personnel engaged in the job of clearing debris near Ramsoo are working round the clock to repair the national highway in order to rush essential supplies.Ministry of Defence spokesman Col SD Goswami said: “239 Army columns are deployed in J&K along with 80 medical teams to extend all possible help to the flood-affected population.”
In Srinagar, the Army has deployed additional 89 boat teams. So far, more than 9,500 people have been rescued from Srinagar and 2,000 people have been provided shelter in Badamibagh Cantonment. 355 people requiring immediate medical attention have been evacuated by Army Aviation Helicopters till now.