Flood in Budgam due to overflow of Jhelum River, Omar Abdullah to write a letter to Amit Shah

Nearly 200 families were rescued as the Jhelum river overflowed in Budgam district. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah assured the people that the government was working to prevent such floods in future.

He accused previous governments of not taking adequate steps to prevent floods. Abdullah went straight to the flood-affected areas of Lasjan to take stock of the situation.

He attacked the ruling government of Jammu and Kashmir after the 2014 floods and said that they did nothing to keep the valley safe from floods.

"We have to ask what was done in Kashmir after the 2014 floods. Those who ruled here did nothing to prevent floods from recurring," Abdullah told reporters after visiting Lasjan. The Jhelum river overflowed in the wee hours of Thursday at Shalina in Budgam district, inundating several low-lying areas.

Abdullah said the last 11 years after 2014 had been "wasted". People should not fear floods due to two days of rain. We will make every effort to ensure this.

He further said, "Thankfully, there was no loss of life due to the timely action of the administration, but there has been damage to property, which should not have happened. If the Jhelum and flood water had been drained in the last 11 years, we would not have had to face this situation."

Abdullah said that he would write a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and request him to send a team to Kashmir to assess the damage. He said, "A team from the Center is coming to assess the damage in 10 districts of Jammu division. I will write a letter to the Union Home Minister and request him to send the same team to Kashmir to assess the damage caused by the floods in the valley districts."

Earlier, police had rescued around 200 families from flood-affected areas of Srinagar district. A police spokesperson said, "In view of the flood-like situation and heavy waterlogging in various parts of the city, Srinagar Police in collaboration with SDRF and River Police has launched a comprehensive evacuation and rehabilitation plan to protect the affected civilians."

He said police, river police and SDRF units were deployed at vulnerable locations in the district under the supervision of regional officials. These teams successfully evacuated and transferred around 200 families and people from the severely affected areas, including 24 families and people living in houseboats who were rescued from Pirzo Island and Basant Bagh.

The police have urged people to avoid unnecessary travel during heavy rains and report any waterlogging, fallen trees or electrical hazards to the nearest police station or police control room. Educational institutions have remained closed in the Valley for the past two days.