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Tourists trapped in marooned Anantnag, Srinagar
Srinagar: The unprecedented rainfall and un-seasonal snowfall has wrecked havoc in Jammu and Kashmir as Anantnag and Srinagar districts have been cut-off from the rest of the country. According to reports received, thousands of people have been left stranded in the valley and waiting for the relief supply. Moominabad, Khanabal, Zadipora, Arwani, Shamaspora, Nowbal, Mirdatur and Subhampare areas of Anantnag district are completely submerged in water and the residents have moved to other places. With the water level in the river Jhelum flowing nine feet above the danger mark, many residential areas and shanties have been submerged in the floodwater. "The situation right now is really bad. It's been raining for three days, so there is a lot of damage. Waters have entered homes. A lot of people are stuck in there. We hear the fire brigade is coming to help, ARPO (Association of Retired Police Officers) and RP (Reserve Police) have also helped," said Nazir Ahmed a local resident here.
With many tourists stranded in the valley, the administration has geared
up to help them out. A tourism official said that the control room units
have been established at the tourist reception centre of Srinagar and
hill resorts of Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Leh and Kargil in Ladakh
region. As the 434 km long National Highway still continues to be blocked
by landslides and the relief materials continue to remain stranded, the
government is mulling on the idea of using choppers. But the bad climate
has prevented its operation too. A 24-hour helpline has been provided
so that the relatives of the stranded tourists can know about their condition.
The numbers of this helplines are 9419715498, 9419176148 for Srinagar
, 9419045134 for Phalgam, 9419046559 for Gulmarg, 9419341909 for Sonmarg,
9419179021 for Leh and 9419176125 for Kargil. All the tourists and people
associated with tourism sector have been directed to contact the numbers
in case of any emergency. Meanwhile, sky cleared during the evening giving
people ray of hope that the worst may be over.
-Sept 3, 2006
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