1,10,000 rescued in flood-hit Kashmir as relief efforts scaled up

Jammu Relief efforts were scaled up in floodhit Jammu and Kashmir especially summer capital Srinagar with additional personnel boats drinking water blankets and food rushed to the state Thursday even as authorities said over 110000 people have been rescued so farThe death toll in the floods stands at over 200 so far Authorities in Jammu said the toll in the region is 153 but was likely to go up as many people were still missing A fresh batch of marine commandos equipped with rubberized inflatable boats diving sets and satellite phones arrived in Srinagar where the waters of the Dal Lake and Jhelum river have swamped most of the tourist hubAn official statement said that over 110000 people have been rescued so far by the armed forces and National Disaster Response Force NDRF from different parts of the state The Indian Army has deployed around 30000 troops for rescue and relief operations 21000 in Srinagar region and 9000 in Jammu regionThe armed forces personnel are distributing water bottles and food packets on a large scale So far 224000 litres of water 31500 food packets and over 375 tonnes cooked food have already been airdropped and distributed in the floodaffected areas an official statement saidTelecommunications companies worked to restore connectivity in the state where the unprecedented rain floods and landslides led to massive damage to the telecom infrastructure crippling communications Airtel Reliance Communications Aircel and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd worked to restore networks across the state including Jammu Kargil Ladakh and LehHome Secretary Anil Goswami accompanied by a team of officers reached Srinagar to coordinate relief and rescue operations following directions by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately depute senior officers from Delhi and other states to coordinate the relief operations with the local administration in SrinagarModi who Wednesday chaired a highlevel emergency meeting on relief operations emphasised immediate attention be given to providing basic necessities like food and water to people severely affected by the calamity He also stressed the need for a massive effort to ensure basic hygiene and sanitation in the waterlogged areas of Srinagar where over four lakh people are still estimated to be maroonedDomestic airline companies like Jet Airways GoAir IndiGo SpiceJet and Air India Thursday also added their bit to the rescue efforts by running special charter flights Budget carrier GoAir operated a special flight Thursday morning from Leh to Delhi to evacuate 151 students stranded in the state while Jet has been flying in relief material like tents blankets food grains and medical supplies into Srinagar on its daily DelhiSrinagar service without any chargeIt Thursday operated an additional Boeing 737 nonscheduled flight from Leh to New Delhi to evacuate 133 stranded passengers in addition to the existing daily LehNew Delhi service National carrier Air India too operated special flights for the second consecutive day to evacuate stranded peopleAccording to an official statement 8200 blankets and 650 tents have been provided to flood victims while 80 teams of the Armed Forces Medical Services are in action Four field hospitals have been established in Avantipur Pattan Anantnag and Old Airfield where medical aid is being provided Till now more than 21500 patients have been treatedMore relief materials including blankets and tents water bottles and food packets are being airlifted from Hyderabad Baroda and Delhi Until now 1081 sorties were undertaken by the armed forces helicopters and aircraft and 1411 tonnes of relief materials droppedKeeping in view the urgent requirement of more boats the army has deployed 90 more craft in Srinagar and adjoining areas A total of 224 boats of Army and 148 of the NDRF are now involved in the rescue operation Armed forces have also established 19 relief camps in Srinagar and Jammu region where thousands of rescued people are being sheltered and being provided food and other basic amenitiesThirteen tonnes of water purifying tablets and six water filtration plants with a capacity to filter 12 lakh bottles per day have also been transported to Srinagar while engineering stores including suction and submersible pumps from Vishakhapatnam and Jodhpur are also being sent to flood affected areasEquipment of department of telecommunication army BSNL and some of private companies are also being sent to restore the communication systems To restore road connectivity five task forces of Border Roads Organisation which include 5700 personnel have been pressed into service On the JammuSrinagar highway BRO personnel are trying hard to clear the road blocked by fresh landslide the statement saidMeanwhile all staff members at the Prime Ministers Office PMO have decided to voluntarily contribute a days salary for relief operations a statement said