Six bodies recovered from landslides in J&K; toll rises to 16

Tribune News Service

Srinagar/Jammu, March 31

Six bodies were recovered on Tuesday morning in Budgam district taking the death toll to 16 in Jammu and Kashmir as several areas of the Valley and parts of Jammu were in deluge caused by heavy rain over the weekend.

The six bodies were recovered on Tuesday from the debris in Laden village in Chadoora of Budgam, a senior police official said, adding that one person who was trapped in mudslides was feared dead.

There has been no rain since yesterday, but the weather department has predicted more showers tomorrow.

Process to evacuate affected people was underway as eight teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were rushed to Kashmir. Armed forces, along with four helicopters, have been placed in readiness for deployment at short notice after local authorities declared a flood situation in the Valley.

The central government yesterday granted Rs 200 crore as immediate relief as Prime Minister Narendra Modi rushed minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to Kashmir for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and coordinate with state authorities with regard to the requirements.

Due to heavy rains over the weekend, river Jhelum was flowing above the danger mark at several places including Sangam in Anantnag district and Ram Munshi Bagh in the city.

Flood water entered several low-lying areas of Kashmir, including capital Srinagar, leading to panic among the locals for whom memories of the devastating deluge only seven months back are fresh in mind.

Over 280 people had died and tens of thousands left homeless and property worth hundreds of crores damaged in unprecedented floods in the state in September last year.

Residents bid farewell

Residents of the village in Budgam bid a tearful adieu to the 15 who died in the landslide on Sunday even while waiting for news of the a six-year-old by who still remains trapped under the debris.

Meanwhile, Agriculture minister and local MLA Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura, who is camping in Budgam to oversee the relief and rescue operations due to landslides, assured all necessary steps to provide assistance to the affected people.

"The government is on toes and all necessary steps will be taken to provide assistance to the affected people," he said.

The minister said the district administration has already been geared up to take immediate steps to evacuate people from vulnerable areas to safer places so as to avoid further loss of life.

The minister has directed the authorities for constitution of Committees to assess the losses due to natural calamities and submitting a detailed report to enable the Government to grant necessary relief to the affected families.

Centre promises aid

Meanwhile, the Centre has assured J&K government of all possible assistance to cope with floods.  

The state government has Rs 209.70 crore available under SDRF as on February 13, 2015, says the Agriculture Ministry.  Of this, state government can disburse input subsidy for crops that have suffered over 50 per cent losses.

The central government will assess damage as soon as floodwaters recede.  (With PTI inputs)