Over 100 Gujaratis stranded, but safe in flood-hit Kashmir

RAJKOT: As floods wreck havoc in Jammu and Kashmir, at least 127 Gujaratis visiting the state have been stranded at various places. These are mainly tourists on visit to destinations like Srinagar and Pahalgam. Discharged phone batteries and lack of power is preventing them from communicating with their families back home.
Five tourists from Palitana and 40 others from Rajkot have gone incommunicado.The latter are said to be safe in Pahalgam in Anantnag district. There are 72 people from Mehamdabad stranded at Srinagar and other places. Twelve of these are incommunicado while 60 are at a hotel in Srinagar. Two families comprising 10 people from south Gujarat are also struggling to return home.
Mamlatdar at Palitana R M Kandoriya said that those who have gone incommunicado are Vishal Langaliya, Kinjal Langaliya, Ankit Shah, Bhupat Shah and Manshi Rajput. They had last called from Srinagar.
Meanwhile, Bhavnagar district administration has asked all its mamlatdars to prepare a list of people who may have gone to Kashmir and are stranded there.
At least 40 people including 36 tourists from Rajkot district are stranded in a hotel in Pahalgam since Saturday night and communication with them has been cut off.
Sources said that 36 tourists and four travel agency staff members from Rajkot district had left on September 2 to Jammu via train for four night-five day Jammu and Kashmir tour package of Shree Kavya Tour and Travel agency in the city.
"All tourists are safe in Raj Palace hotel in Pahalgam. We have received an email from our staff member who accessed internet from a nationalized bank. They are safe but due to power cut, their mobile batteries have discharged and they are unable to contact us," Rakshit Joshi, owner of the travel agency told TOI.
The two families from Navsari and Surat are stuck in Noor-e-Mumtaz and Sunshine Hotel in Pahalgam and Srinagar respectively. Surat collector Ramya Mohan said, "They have confirmed their safety. It is just because of lack of connectivity that they are unable to return."