About 20 Riyadh-based Indian organisations have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a massive response to the unprecedented disaster caused by floods in Jammu and Kashmir on a scale similar to that carried out during the Uttarakhand landslides.
A meet, organised by Aligarh Muslim University alumni association (AMUOBA), Riyadh, appreciated the efforts of the Indian defence forces in the ongoing rescue and relief operation, Arab News reported Monday.
The representatives of Indian organisations, however, called upon the government to further intensify the massive rescue and relief operation to minimise death and destruction in the stricken valley.
"We appreciate that the government has stepped up efforts with the prime minister announcing aid from the PM relief fund for the ravaged state...."
"But with the floods claiming the lives of hundreds of people and leaving many marooned, the death and destruction in the flood-hit state can only be minimised by intensifying rescue operations in the same manner it was carried out by the defence forces during the Uttarakhand landslides," they said.
The appeal to ensure a humongous relief effort to bring succour to the affected people was made amid fears of an epidemic looming large in the flood-hit Kashmir valley.
Meanwhile, the Indian armed forces and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have rescued over 226,000 flood-hit people in Jammu and Kashmir as relief efforts continued in the state Monday. The defence ministry, however, warned that water-borne diseases could break out as the flood waters recede.
Over 508,000 litres of water and over 1,054 tonnes of food packets and cooked food have already been distributed in the flood-affected areas. Rescuers have also distributed 8,200 blankets and 1,572 tents.
So far, 80 transport aircraft and helicopters of the Indian Air Force and Army Aviation Corps have been pressed into service. The army has deployed around 30,000 troops for rescue and relief work.
The Indian prime minister Sunday appealed to people that his birthday (Sep 17) should not be celebrated, and instead they should help the Jammu and Kashmir flood victims.
On Sep 7, while visiting Srinagar, Prime Minister Modi announced a special assistance of Rs.1,000 crore for rehabilitation measures in the state.
