Srinagar: 2014 Flood Victims Yet To Receive Financial Aid By The Government

Srinagar: Despite several assurances and promises, scores of 2014 flood victims in Srinagar are yet to receive the financial aid released by the government of India under the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund in 2015.

The aggrieved who spoke to Greater Kashmir said that they had taken loans from banks for reconstruction or repair of their flood-hit homes and shops on the then state government’s assurance that they would be provided adequate financial aid.

Some victims said they were yet to receive the assistance even under the State Disaster Relief fund.

Malik Ghulam Hassan of Sonwar said that he was running from pillar to post to get the compensation.

“My house was damaged in 2014 floods. Since then I have been visiting authorities to seek the compensation. I saw several other people also visiting the government offices for same purpose,” he said.

The devastating floods hit most parts of Srinagar on September 7, 2014, after embankments of the river Jhelum breached at multiple places.

A study titled ‘satellite-based rapid assessment on floods in Jammu & Kashmir–September 2014′, conducted jointly by the department of environment & remote sensing and the ISRO, concluded that the 2014 floods inundated 557 sq-km of Kashmir and affected at least 22 lakh people.

Ansar Ahmad Mir, a resident of Sonwar, whose house was severely damaged, said his file was processed for compensation in the deputy commissioner’s office in 2015. “There has been no progress however on my case since then. I visit the authorities concerned every week to know the status of my case. I am yet to receive the assistance under SDRF which was disbursed soon after flood waters receded,” he rued.

Mir said he rebuilt his residential house after taking loan from a bank.

“Since disbursement of compensation was delayed, I applied for housing loan and thought to repay it once the compensation is credited. Till date, my wait continues,” he said. Similar complaints were received from some other districts of the Kashmir.

The assistance to the flood victims was provided in three installments. The then Omar Abdullah-led government paid Rs 75,000 each for fully damaged houses, Rs 12,500 each for severely damaged houses and Rs 3,800 each for partially damaged houses as an immediate interim relief.

The amount was disbursed from state disaster relief fund. Later, the government paid the second installment under the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PNMRF) and the third under PMDF.

Meanwhile, the aggrieved people appealed Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to personally look into the matter and direct the authorities concerned to disburse the compensation among left-out without any further delay.

As reported earlier, over Rs 500 crore were disbursed among affected families of 2014 devastating floods in Srinagar under Prime Minister’s Development Package, reveals official records.

The total number of residential houses damaged in various categories in 2014 devastating floods remained 77569.

As per the official records, number of fully damaged pacca residential house in 2014 floods in Srinagar was 5526, severally damaged 20813 and partially 51025.

The record further reveals that the number of Kacha fully damaged residential house was 96, severely damaged 54 and partially 55.

The amount, as per official records, disbursed among affected families was over Rs 500.22 crore. (GK)