SRINAGAR: Brushing aside the criticism by the Parliamentary panel for not taking sufficient measures on the forewarning about “more than normal” heavy showers, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said there was no forewarning of the recent floods in the state.
“I don’t know whether the state government or the Central government had the power to stop the rains, I certainly did not. And, therefore, if there was any warning to me that heavy rains are causing flooding and I should do something about it and If they think by stopping the rain from falling I have failed, then I accept my failure,” Omar told reporters here.
Reacting to the Parliamentary panel report rapping his government for not taking sufficient measures on the forewarning of the meteorological department about “more than normal” heavy showers during the recent floods, the Chief Minister said this is a very “convenient sort of handle” which they want to use for cutting favour with the people here.
“Whom did they share their warning with? I am sure they share warning with other agencies as well and therefore this is a very convenient sort of handle which they want to use to cutting favour with the people here. It will not work,” he said.
“If they are saying that having been forewarned, I did not mobilised my government, what were they doing?” the Chief Minister asked.
“How long did it take them to fly in boats and NDRF rescue teams. If they were ready for the floods, Why were not their boats already in Srinagar. If they were ready for the floods, why hadn’t the Army vacated lower parts of the Badamibagh Cantonment. Why was the Army also caught unawares?” Omar asked.
He said if the state government had failed, then every other institution was caught unawares as well.
“We have done whatever we could with regard to the aftermath of the floods and in fact the people’s judgment, what we did and what we didn’t do, is in the machines and will be known tomorrow,” he said.
A Parliamentary panel had today rapped Jammu and Kashmir government for not taking sufficient measures on the forewarning of the MeT department about “more than normal” heavy showers during the September floods and also asked the Centre “not to shrug off its responsibility” in re-building the flood-ravaged state. PTI
