Govt that got washed away

Srinagar: “My government couldn’t respond in the first 24 hours as we didn’t have a government,” said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

“I had no cellphone and no connectivity. I am now starting to track down ministers and officers. Today I met ministers who were swept up by the floods.”

Speaking to a television channel, the Chief Minister said, “For the first 24 to 36 hours that was my question – Where’s the government? I had no government. I started rebuilding efforts with six people in a room. My secretariat, the police headquarters, the control room, fire services, hospitals, all the infrastructure was under water.” 

Abdullah said the state government has come under criticism from people who say rescue and relief efforts reached six days after the floods – the worst the state faced in over a century – and there was “no sign of a government” in response to the massive humanitarian crisis. 

Rescue teams have faced public fury; the Air Force has been forced to scale back efforts to pull out people from marooned homes after several incidents of stone-throwing. The 44-year-old chief minister alleged that the attacks were being provoked by “usual elements fishing in troubled waters.”

“This is not just anger. People are moving from unaffected places to create trouble. While resentment, anger, slogan-shouting is from people angry with rescue efforts, snatching boats, throwing stones is not from people who are struggling for relief.”

Asked whether he thought that maximum credit for the relief efforts had gone to the army, Abdullah replied, “The armed forces have done a very commendable job under very tough circumstances. If people want to blame my government, so be it. I am not going to get into a credit battle.”