Rajnath takes stock of flood-ravaged Jammu & Kashmir, assures Centre's help

Jammu: As floods and heavy rainfall continue to cause loss of life and property, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday met Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and took stock of the situation in the state, Singh, however, could not conduct an aerial survey of the affected areas due to inclement weather.

Omar himself drove the Home Minister and Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh around the waterlogged roads of Srinagar city which has been witnessing incessant rains over the past five days along with the rest of the state.

"The floods have caused a lot of damage. If this is the condition of city, what will be the situation in rural areas. I was told that this has happened after 50-60 years," said Rajnath Singh who assured the Chief Minister that the Centre stands firmly behind the state government at this crucial hour.

He said that an inter-ministerial team will be sent to assess the damage in the state and that J&K can use Rs 1,100 crore of State Disaster Relief Fund to deal with the calamity. "The helicopter could not take off because of bad weather. So I went with the Chief Minister around the city," Singh, who arrived on Saturday morning, said before heading for Jammu.

"No politics should be played at this hour. After the water recedes, an inter-ministerial team will be sent to assess the damage. PM has given Rs 2 lakh to the kin of every person killed in the floods. I have told the state government to utilise Rs 1,100 crore of State Disaster Relief Fund which has 90 per cent of grant from the Centre," Singh told reporters here.

Singh also asked the state government to send a memorandum on the damage incurred during the floods, once the situation eases.

Accompanied by Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh,the Home Minister arrived on Saturday morning and went straight into a meeting with the Chief Minister in the technical area of the airport where both discussed steps to meet the situation arising out of the worst floods in the state in six decade

that have claimed 100 lives so far.

(With inputs from PTI)