SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday sought a special relief package from the Centre for rain-ravaged areas of Jammu and Kashmir, saying the scale of destruction caused by recent torrential rains, flash floods and landslides was beyond the financial capacity of the Union Territory administration to handle alone.
Expressing grief over the loss of lives and widespread damage, Abdullah said the recent spell of extreme weather had triggered a humanitarian crisis, particularly in the Pir Panjal region, leaving several people dead and causing extensive damage to homes, roads, bridges, public infrastructure, agricultural land and livelihoods.
He said districts including Rajouri, Poonch and Doda were among the worst affected, with flash floods inundating residential areas and markets, sweeping away vehicles and disrupting road connectivity due to landslides, which also hampered rescue and relief operations.
Calling the devastation “enormous”, Abdullah urged the Government of India to announce a comprehensive special relief package to support rehabilitation of affected families and reconstruction of damaged infrastructure.
Referring to previous flood disasters in Jammu, the NC president said assistance provided in the past had fallen short of expectations and hoped the Centre would respond more generously this time in view of the magnitude of the calamity.
Abdullah also praised Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for what he described as a swift response to the crisis. He said the Chief Minister cut short his visit to New Delhi to oversee relief operations, remained in constant contact with the administration and public representatives, announced an ex gratia of Rs 6 lakh for the families of those killed, and directed officials to expedite rescue, relief, rehabilitation and restoration of essential services. Damage assessment of houses, crops and other property is also underway to facilitate compensation, he added.
Meanwhile, Abdullah raised questions over the extensive waterlogging witnessed in Srinagar during the recent rainfall, saying it had cast serious doubts on the effectiveness of the Smart City project implemented before the elected government assumed office.
He demanded an independent technical and financial audit of the Srinagar Smart City project to examine its planning, execution, quality of work and adherence to engineering standards.
“The people have a right to know whether public funds were utilised efficiently and whether deficiencies in planning or execution contributed to the city’s inability to withstand heavy rainfall,” Abdullah said, adding that responsibility should be fixed and corrective measures initiated if any lapses are found.
