Jammu and Kashmir government should make flood assessment report public: Congress

JAMMU: Alleging that people in Jammu and Kashmir are complaining that assessment of flood damage is being done in a biased manner, Congress today demanded that the report prepared by state government in this regard be made public.

"The government of Jammu and Kashmir should make public the flood assessment reports of the Revenue Department and make them available to people in all affected villages in the flood-hit state," national spokesperson of Congress Salman Anees Soz said today.

"Flood-affected people have a right to this information and the government should disclose it proactively," Soz said.

He alleged that residents of various flood-hit districts have complained that assessment officers only meet politically-connected persons and do not include names of everybody who have suffered damage to property.

"Politicians appear to be interfering with the process of identifying victims who have suffered damage to property and loss of livelihoods. It is shameful that even at a time of such a calamity, people are playing politics," he said.

"A grievance redress mechanism should also be set up to ensure that benefits accrue only to genuinely affected families," he added.

Soz appreciated the district administration for disclosing on its website the names of people who have received relief.

"But the government should disclose list of claimants before sanctioning the relief. This will help ensure a clean relief and rehabilitation process," he said.