A high level team from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) arrived in Kashmir on Saturday to assess the damage caused by the recent spell of heavy rainfall that triggered floods in parts of the Valley. The team is scheduled to conduct on-the-spot inspections of affected areas, review the ongoing relief and rehabilitation measures, and interact with local authorities to understand the scale of losses. Reports suggest that on its arrival, the on Sunday the team has visited central Kashmir’s Budgam district and directed the authorities to compile damage details department-wise which then would be submitted to the Government of India.
Earlier this week, the floods waters have inflicted heavy losses on several parts of south and central Kashmir. Besides damage to homes and other infrastructure, the worst hit have been agriculture and horticulture areas. As people were readying to harvest their paddy fields, as these had bumper crops this year, the flood waters destroyed every grain of it. Same is true about apple orchards. The harvesting was on and waters destroyed everything. Losses are very high and thus need same scale of relief and rehabilitation measures.
The local administration here should gear up for assessment of losses with major focus on agriculture and horticulture. The delaying tactics, that has been constant official attitude here, should be avoided. It is a humanitarian crisis and the sooner the authorities come up with details of damage, department-wise, the faster would be the relief process.
Now that the Central Team is here to assess the situation, let the process be quickened and the report be submitted to this team for further submission to the Government of India so that measures are taken to help the suffering masses. On its part, the UT administration should also gear up and speed up relief measures. While one should appreciate the UT administration and its all concerned wings for their rescue operation during floods and thus saving human lives, now is the time to ensure that those, whose lives were saved, are able to stand on their feet once again.
Once the team submits its report to Government of India, the relief process should be set in motion. The government here, and more than it the people, are eagerly waiting for Central assistance. The UT administration may do its bit, but the damages, both in Kashmir and Jammu are too huge and deserve a huge package from the central government. In Kashmir, the agriculture and the horticulture proceeds are the only thing that run the households of the majority of the people whose orchards and paddy fields were destroyed. They are financially finished and thus need a massive package to once again start their lives afresh. The UT government, and more importantly, GoI have to come to their rescue.
