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| Please no politicising of flood in J&K | | | When the PCC Chief,Saif-ud-Din Soz, and the PDP patron,Mufti Mohd. Sayeed, blamed the BJP led NDA Government in the Centre for showing tardy interest in providing funds for relief, rehabilitation and restoration of damaged infrastructure they seem to be playing politics.That Soz has to create an opportunity for berating the BJP is understandable because the BJP has not only forced the Congress to lose power in India but it has also forced the state unit of the Congress to taste defeat from the three Lok Sabha constituencies in the regions of Jammu and Ladakh.
Hence it is understandable if Soz is trying to malign the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the plea that he has not shown keen interest in coming to the rescue of flood affected people in the Kashmir valley.Both the Mufti and Soz have forgotten to mention those in the Jammu region who have suffered immense losses owing to floods and landslides.Well judging from the colossal loss the state witnessed because of torrential rain,severe inundation in two major rivers,the Jehlum and the Chenab,and on account of landslides it is not an easy affair for the Centre to open the strings of its purse for helping the state Government in carrying out relief,rehabilitation and infrastructure restoration on a war footing.It is so because preliminary assessment of loss to the public and private infrastructure for the Kashmir valley only is put at Rs. One lakh crores.It is as huge a sum as the deluge that hit Jammu and Kashmir.
Mufti Sayeed has a point when he refers to the role of Modi who managed to put life back to normal in Gujarat which was hit by a major earthquake in 2001.He has,therefore,urged the Central government to shun the "indifferent attitude" towards the flood calamity that hit Jammu and Kashmir.
Asserting that the real extent, dimensions and impact of the recent floods was still not being realised by the government agencies, Mufti said: "The PDP wants to convey to the Centre in the strongest terms that the response to the tragedy in Kashmir has been grossly inadequate, tardy and it looks cruelly indifferent.""Modi as the Chief Minister had rebuilt Gujarat in the wake of an earthquake and even extended immediate help to another state, Uttarakhand, in their moment of crisis. But he is still to respond adequately as the Prime Minister of the country to the pain and destruction Jammu and Kashmir has suffered in the recent floods," Mufti has said.Saif-ud-Din Soz too has expressed concern over what he called lack of financial support to the flood hit Jammu and Kashmir from the BJP led NDA Government.
Both the Mufti and Soz need to remember that within days of the flood devastation caused in Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister,Modi,announced financial help to the tune of Rs.21000 crores.His Government also brought about slight modification in the utilisation of constituency development funds by MPs and allowed them to contribute Rs.25 lakhs to the flood relief fund for Jammu and Kashmir.During his visit to Jammu and Kashmir for an aerial survey of the flood hit areas Modi had announced exgratia relief of Rs.two lakhs to the kins of those killed in floods and Rs.50,000 to those injured in floods and landslides.
He motivated a number of state Governments,private nd public sector companies for donating liberally to the Prime Minister flood relief fund.And see Tamil Nadu Government donated Rs.five crores.It was under the instruction of Modi that Army,Air Force,Navy,Men of the National Disaster Response Force and paramilitary forces were the first to start relief,rescue operations on a massive scale.
Tonnes of food items besides medicines and drinking water bottles were distributed among flood victims.Now that the state Government has recently submitted its preliminary report on the losses owing floods the Centre should be given time to frame its priorities and policy because restoration of damaged infrastructure and rehabilitation may not only be a time consuming affair but requires large sums of money.
The Centre has to raise funds which could be sufficient for meeting the challenges posed by the rehabilitation flood affected people and infrastructure restoration activities.
Let politicians belonging to Jammu and Kashmir stop politicking and lend a helping hand to the flood affected people and to the Government of India. |
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