Mehbooba Mufti urges Union govt to declare J&K floods as 'national calamity'

Mehbooba called Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh over phone and expressed her disappointment at the inadequate response to the disaster in the state which has already taken a heavy toll of life, property and infrastructure.

She told the Home Minister that even though the fury of the weather still continues to unfold there is already a disaster of unprecedented dimensions taking shape.

She said that the floods in J&K should be declared as 'national calamity'.

The PDP chief told the Home Minister that it was unfortunate to find that a disaster management exercise was still nowhere in sight.

Mehbooba said the concern that was rightly shown towards the people affected by the recent ceasefire violations in the state is clearly missing this time.

She said more than 70 people have died in Jammu and Kashmir regions and there was a massive damage to infrastructure like roads, bridges, embankments, power and water supply lines.

She said while the long term relief and rehabilitation package will have to be worked out keeping in view the extent of damage, the rescue operations could not be delayed as a large number of people were facing threat to their lives in cities, village and remote hilly areas alike.

Mehbooba said the disaster was beyond the resources and capacities of the state and the Centre needs to come in a big way to the rescue of the people.

She said many places cannot be reached except by air to save the marooned and inundated population or take relief material to them as road communication has been badly hit by floods.

The PDP president said the state government has failed to perform its duty during the last six years and has been unable to establish a full-fledged Disaster Management Agency in the state.

(Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri)