Jammu and Kashmir floods: Cong sends material, volunteers to aid relief effort

New Delhi: Congress today stepped up its aid efforts in Jammu and Kashmir with the party sending relief material, including boats, medicines and tents, besides 100 volunteers to the flood affected areas even as state governments ruled by it donated Rs 30 crore.

Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi, who is abroad for a health check-up, is in constant touch with the AICC on the situation in the state and relief measures. “Sonia has also instructed Congress Chief Ministers to contribute with all means to the relief and rehabilitation efforts in Jammu and Kashmir,” Congress spokesperson Salman Khurshid told reporters here.

He said General Secretary Ambika Soni, in-charge of the state, will be going there tomorrow, taking along with her relief material – packaged food items, medicines, water purifier tablets.

He said the party has contributed 25 boats, both collapsible and motor equipped, for assistance besides setting up a special relief camp at Pathankot for assistance to flood victims.

Khurshid thanked Indigo Airlines for lifting the party’s relief material free of charge. He said the government in Uttarakhand, a state which was severely flood affected last year, contributed Rs 10 crore towards relief measures in Jammu and Kashmir. Maharashtra government also contributed Rs 10 crore, besides Karnataka and Assam which has announced Rs 5 crore each.

Khurshid said the Youth Congress has sent about 100 volunteers to the state and all state units are in the process of dispatching relief material and teams of volunteers. A special bank account has been set up by the Youth Congress to collect donations at the Rail Bhavan branch of the SBI here.

Khurshid also commended the work of the Indian Army and other security agencies besides the NDRF in rescuing over 70,000 people. Asked whether the National Conference and Congress coalition government in J&K had failed to respond to the flood early, he said relief was the focus now. “This is not the time to seek accountability… The priority is relief, giving information to people and rescuing them,” Khurshid said. Gandhi has set up a Relief Committee for the calamity comprising Congress’s J-K unit chief Saifuddin Soz, senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and several J&K ministers and leaders. The floods were stated to be the worst in 109 years after rains pummelled the state on September 2. Over 200 have been killed so far.

PTI