Rescuers intensify efforts, but have humongous job ahead

JAMMU: Marooned people in flood-hit Kashmir continued to make desperate calls for rescue, as rescuers continued to grapple with the apocalyptic proportions of disaster that has killed over 200 people and left tens of thousands trapped.

The Army intensified its rescue operations and had evacuated 1,10,000 people along with National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) till Thursday evening. But it was just over 18% of the six lakh people estimated to be marooned in flood waters.

Many like Jammu-resident Sunil Angral continued to wait anxiously to know the whereabouts of their loved one. He has last spoken to his brother, Rajesh Angral, in Srinagar on Sunday before he lost touch with him.

"My brother is a traffic police inspector, who joined his new posting in Srinagar on September 1. He was staying at Hotel Dream Palace, Ikhwan Chowk, when I last spoke to him and water levels were rising alarmingly," said Angral. "We have had no contact with him since Sunday."

Angral's desperation mirrored that of the family of 22-year-old engineering student Memor Rashid, who had been stuck inside a house along with three others for four days back in Srinagar's Mehjoornagar.

"When the water levels rose, they climbed onto the sloping roof of their house. Please, please, please save them, their condition is very bad and critical. Their parents are crying and are mentally shattered," said Rashid's cousin, Heena Huma Javed, who lives in Jammu.

Rising Kashmir editor Shujaat Bukhari said he could not reach his office in Srinagar's central square of Lal Chowk for the fifth day. He said he was able to get in touch with some of his colleagues, but was yet to know whereabouts of over a dozen others.

There was some respite as water levels continued to decrease allowing many like Asif Nazir, an orthopaedic surgeon, to leave his house after five days to look for food and water. He said his family along with other residents of Bemina's Gulposh Apartments had taken refuge on the second floor of the premises after water levels went up menacingly.

"All residents are staying on the same floor, where they are having whatever little food from a common kitchen. Lots of people are there," said Nazir.

Such accounts are pouring in many parts of Srinagar, where the situation has been aggravated by near collapse of the state administration. Many ministers, who had to be rescued from their houses, have reportedly flown to Jammu. This has mounted anger against the state government, which was caught off guard and now is finding it impossible to cope with the scale of the tragedy.

"Imagine what the civilian government can do. The ministers who came out safely out of Tulsi Bagh (in Srinagar) have flown to Jammu with their families," tweeted Bukhari.

The dysfunctional state administration has left the Army and the local volunteers to do the bulk of the rescue work, which is turning out to be humongous. Zakaat Foundation of India's 30 volunteers joined the rescue work on Thursday and evacuated people from some worst-hit areas despite shortage of boats.

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