KISHTWAR: Senior Congress Leader and MLA Inderwal G.M Saroori on Thursday telephonically talked with officials of Indian Air Force (IAF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and requested them for rescuing 50 odd people from erstwhile Doda District who were trapped at Khalsa Hotel, Lal Chowk, Hazrat Bal, Armwari, Sonwar foot bridge, Shankrachariya, Batmaloo, Ravalpura, Tulsi Bag, Azad Basti Neti Pura and Raj Bagh in flood hit Srinagar.
“Officials of Indian Air force have assured him that they are trying their level best for rescuing all the people who were trapped in the Valley and added that many people from the areas mentioned by Saroori have already been rescued and will be airlifted to Jammu soon besides today 33 NIT students were airlifted to Delhi in which students also belonged to Thathri, Bhalessa, Bhadarwah, Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban”, officials of IAF informed Saroori telephonically and added that Saroori’s PRO Mohammad Iqbal Malik who is at Governor House Srinagar (Army Base Camp) along with 20 other people including Shokat Ibrahim Sheikh, Firdous Bhawani, Asif Iqbal, Mudassar Ahmed, Shabir Ahmed, Khalid Hussain, Rehamta Begum, Saqib Qazi with his family and others from erstwhile Doda district are safe.
He urged the IAF, NDRF and Union Government for speeding up relief and rescue operations in flood hit J and K and to increase number of helicopters so that lakhs of people stranded at their respective rooftops are rescued and shifted to safer places. He also made an appeal to State Government for announcing six months free ration to the flood affected areas including erstwhile district Doda and other parts.
