Over 1,42,000 people rescued; relief ops in full swing

Jammu, Over 1,42,000 people have been rescued from the flood-ravaged parts of Jammu and Kashmir so far, as the relief operations launched by Armed forces entered the 12th day today. “Armed Forces and NDRF have so far rescued over 1,42,000 persons from different parts of J&K in the ongoing rescue and relief operations,” a defence spokesperson said here. Thirteen tonnes of water purifying tablets and six water filtration plants with a capacity to filter 1.2 lakh bottles per day have already reached Srinagar, he said. Suction pumps and other engineering equipment from Vishakhapatnam have also reached the flood affected area for relief work, he said, adding that twelve sewage pumps from Delhi have also been dispatched to the Valley. The spokesman said communication equipment of the Department of Telecommunication, Army, BSNL and some private companies have also been dispatched to restore the network. Also, thirty generator sets of 3 to 5 KVA capacity have been sent to Srinagar to provide continuous power supply in relief camps and field hospitals, he added. Besides these, as many as 8,200 blankets and 1,119 tents have been provided to the flood victims, he said, adding, 80 medical teams of the Armed Forces Medical Services are already operating in full swing. Four field hospitals have been established in Avantipur, Pattan, Anantnag and Old Airfield where medical aid is being provided to the ailing people, he said, adding that till now, they have treated more than 22,500 patients. Military medical services from Bathinda have also been shifted to Srinagar, he said, adding that about 10 tonnes of medicines and other health care materials, including mobile oxygen generation plant, have reached Srinagar from Delhi. More relief materials, including blankets and tents, water bottles from IRCTC and food packets, are being airlifted from Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Baroda and Amritsar, he said. Twenty-five tonnes of Indian gram (channa) from NAFED is also being transported to the flood affected areas, he said. Eighty-six transport aircraft and helicopters of the Indian Air Force and Army Aviation Corps are continuing their efforts in rescue and relief operations, he said, adding that the Army has deployed around 30,000 troops for rescue and relief operations, of which 21,000 troops are deployed in Srinagar region and 9,000 troops in Jammu region. Armed Forces personnel are distributing water bottles and food packets on a large scale, he said, adding, that till now, more than 4,00,000 litres of water, 1,31,500 food packets and over 800 tonnes cooked food have been airdropped and distributed in the flood-affected areas. So far, 1771 sorties were undertaken by helicopters and aircraft of Armed Forces and 2371 tonnes of relief materials airdropped by the Indian Air Force, he said. A total of 224 boats of the Army and 148 NDRF’s inflatable boats have also been put into service, he added. Armed Forces have also established 19 relief camps in Srinagar and Jammu region. “In Srinagar region, camps were established at BB Cantt, Avantipur, Old Airfield, Sumbal, Chattargam and Jijamata Mandir, where thousands of rescued people are being sheltered,” the spokesperson said. They are also being provided with food and other basic amenities, he added. To restore the road connectivity, five task forces of the Border Roads Organisation, which include 5700 personnel, have been deployed in Srinagar, Rajouri and Akhnoor, he said. As of now, they have restored the road connectivity from Batote–Kishtwar, Kishtwar-Anantnag and Jammu-Poonch. On the Jammu–Srinagar highway, BRO personnel have cleared the road up to KM 172 (Ramsu), he said. — PTI