New Delhi, 10 September 2014: The Prime Minister chaired a high-level emergency meeting to review relief operations in Jammu and Kashmir late this evening.
The Prime Minister took stock of the situation and was briefed on the status of operations, especially in Srinagar town and the Kashmir valley. He said that in view of the huge magnitude of the calamity, the Central Government needs to provide full support to the state administration, to comprehensively ramp-up the rescue and relief operations.
The Prime Minister categorically emphasized that immediate attention be given to providing basic necessities like food and water to people severely affected by the calamity. The Prime Minister directed that top priority be given to provision of essential commodities to affected people in Srinagar town. He directed the Home Ministry to immediately depute senior officers from Delhi and other states to coordinate the relief operations with local administration in Srinagar.
The Prime Minister emphasized the need for a massive effort to ensure basic hygiene and sanitation in the water-logged areas of Srinagar. The Prime Minister was informed that the process of restoration of telecommunication links has begun, with about 8000 landlines being activated in Srinagar. Mobile services have also been partially restored through the service provider Aircel.
A total of 76,000 people have been rescued so far by the Armed Forces and NDRF. Arrangements are being made for provision of food, water and essential medicines.
The Prime Minister called for coordinating the relief efforts of voluntary organizations as well. The meeting was attended by MoS, PMO Jitendra Singh, the Cabinet Secretary, the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, the Additional Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, and other senior Secretaries of the Union Government and Defence officials.
