Union Minister Jitendra Singh to visit Srinagar to take stock of flood situation

Union Minister Jitendra Singh will visit the flood-hit city on Thursday for an on-the-spot assessment of relief and rescue measures in the flood-ravaged Kashmir Valley.

Singh, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, is also scheduled to visit the various shelter homes set up by the Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in the state, officials said.

The Minister had yesterday stated that over 80,000 people have been rescued by the Armed forces and NDRF and the remaining are also in the process of being shifted out from marooned areas.

He had said that the Prime Minister has issued orders that over 500 engineering students, who had moved from Srinagar to Leh in panic, should be flown out free of cost from Leh to different destinations. Singh had said that arrangements were being made for providing more relief material particularly food packets and drinking water.

Several teams of doctors have also been air-lifted from Delhi to Srinagar on Wednesday. The team includes several Kashmir-origin doctors based in Delhi, who have been advised to join the relief efforts because of their familiarity with the topography and local conditions.