‘Over Rs 500 crore disbursed among 2014 flood victims in Srinagar’

Srinagar, Aug 25: Over Rs 500 crore were disbursed among affected families of 2014 devastating floods in Srinagar under Prime Minister’s Development Package, reveals official records.

The total number of residential houses damaged in various categories in 2014 devastating floods remained 77569.

   

As per the official records, number of fully damaged pacca residential house in 2014 floods in Srinagar was 5526, severally damaged 20813 and partially 51025.

The record further reveals that the number of Kacha fully damaged residential house was 96, severally damaged 54 and partially 55.

The amount, as per official records, disbursed among affected families was over Rs 500.22 crore.

According to a report prepared by the Annual Disaster Statistical Review, Kashmir had incurred around $16 billion (104000 crore INR) loss due to the devastating floods that hit most parts of the Valley on 7 September 2014.

The assistance to the flood victims was provided in three installments. The then government had paid Rs 75,000 compensation for fully damaged house, Rs 12,500 each for severely damaged and Rs 3,800 for partially damaged as an immediate interim relief.

The amount was disbursed from state disaster relief fund. Later, the government paid the second installment under the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PNMRF) and the third under PMDP. However, the contractors who worked day and night for restoration of road connectivity, river embankment breaches damaged post floods in Srinagar said that they are yet to be paid for services rendered.

Post-floods, in November 2014 the Government of India announced aRs 80,000-crore package saying funds would not be a constraint in building “a modern, progressive and prosperous State.”

Locals are also demanding further measures to be taken up for protection of the Srinagar city from any future floods.

An expert said that a retaining wall is needed to be constructed from Pandrethan to Shivpora to safe Srinagar city from floods. “But this suggestion was never considered by authorities,” he rued.

A study titled ‘A satellite-based rapid assessment on floods in Jammu & Kashmir–September, 2014’, conducted jointly by the department of environment & remote sensing and the ISRO, concluded that the 2014 floods inundated 557 sq-km of Kashmir and affected at least 22 lakh people.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

seven + six =