Rising water levels matter of concern, says Omar
15 Sept 2014 4:39 AM IST
He said the water levels are ‘receding’ in central Kashmir but they are still above the danger mark and the government was waiting for it to go below the danger mark to ‘plug the breaches’ on the banks of river Jhelum.
‘Water levels are rising in some parts of North Kashmir. That is a matter of concern. We are hoping that North Kashmir will not be as badly affected as the rest,’ Abdullah said. He said that as per the figures available with the state government so far, 129 people had lost lives in Jammu region whereas 30-35 people were found dead in Kashmir valley.
On the number of people rescued by various agencies so far, he said the Army and NDRF know the exact figures but he was aware of 50,000 people having been rescued by the Army and 20,000-30,000 by NDRF.
Meanwhile, communications and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday said people in flood-hit Kashmir will get free telecom services for a week on BSNL network, and mobile networks have been substantially or partially restored in the north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), except Poonch.
Of the total 12,306 base transceiver stations (BTS) or mobile towers in J&K, 6,811 were submerged, he said, adding that of these the government has restored 1,208.
‘People can talk free for a week on BSNL’s network in the flood affected areas. We have also requested private telecom operators. They have allowed 60 minutes of free talk time every day,’ Prasad said at the press conference marking the first 100 days of the ministry. He said 8,000 landline connections in the Kashmir valley have started working and the government has opened 5 free public calling booths (PCOs) at the airport.
It was good news for about 180 students of two medical colleges of Srinagar who were relieved at the sight of Mi-17 choppers landing at the Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Manasbal on Saturday, which ferried them to safety. ‘We are thankful to the local people who evacuated us to safety from the hostel building at Government Medical College, Srinagar as the flood water kept rising,’ Kusum, a first-year MBBS student, said on board an IAF helicopter.
‘Water levels are rising in some parts of North Kashmir. That is a matter of concern. We are hoping that North Kashmir will not be as badly affected as the rest,’ Abdullah said. He said that as per the figures available with the state government so far, 129 people had lost lives in Jammu region whereas 30-35 people were found dead in Kashmir valley.
On the number of people rescued by various agencies so far, he said the Army and NDRF know the exact figures but he was aware of 50,000 people having been rescued by the Army and 20,000-30,000 by NDRF.
Meanwhile, communications and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday said people in flood-hit Kashmir will get free telecom services for a week on BSNL network, and mobile networks have been substantially or partially restored in the north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), except Poonch.
Of the total 12,306 base transceiver stations (BTS) or mobile towers in J&K, 6,811 were submerged, he said, adding that of these the government has restored 1,208.
‘People can talk free for a week on BSNL’s network in the flood affected areas. We have also requested private telecom operators. They have allowed 60 minutes of free talk time every day,’ Prasad said at the press conference marking the first 100 days of the ministry. He said 8,000 landline connections in the Kashmir valley have started working and the government has opened 5 free public calling booths (PCOs) at the airport.
It was good news for about 180 students of two medical colleges of Srinagar who were relieved at the sight of Mi-17 choppers landing at the Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Manasbal on Saturday, which ferried them to safety. ‘We are thankful to the local people who evacuated us to safety from the hostel building at Government Medical College, Srinagar as the flood water kept rising,’ Kusum, a first-year MBBS student, said on board an IAF helicopter.
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