Omar Abdullah lauds youth, forces' flood relief efforts

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today lauded the youth of the Valley and various forces for their efforts and hard-work in saving many lives during the floods last month.

"We perhaps do not know your (youth) names and would not ever, but we salute your efforts and hard work. I take the opportunity to thank you on behalf of the people you saved and on my and my government's behalf," Omar said in his address at the Police Commemoration Day at Zewan here.

Recalling the difficult situation in the immediate aftermath of the floods, Omar said about 280 people lost their precious lives in the state due to the floods.

"Had the uniformed-forces - Army, NDRF, CRPF, BSF and J and K Police - not helped, the death toll could have been much more.

"Where, I want to thank theses forces today, I want to thank that other force which did not wear uniform and were not paid salaries, but who, on their own saved many people," he said.

Omar said if the police, army, CRPF and BSF saved lakhs of people, then it won't be wrong to say that the youth of Srinagar saved lakhs of them too.

The Chief Minister said the government tried to reach out to the people and it was for them to decided whether the government did its job well or not.

"When the waters receded, our attempt was to reach to the people. If we did well or not, that is for the people to decide. But we have to accept that even after the floods of this magnitude, no one died of hunger or cold.

"People used to say that when Kashmir gets flooded, more people die of disease than by the waters. Today, I can tell the people that there was no spread of any disease due to the flood waters and no precious life was lost due to any disease," he said.

Omar, however, said there was a danger that diseases may spread due to the dead animals.

"More than 1500 carcasses were lifted and buried in a scientific way in a few days. Every day, before the floods, 200 tons of garbage was lifted in Srinagar city, but after the floods about 3,000 ton of waste was lifted every day by the municipality. Then only we reached this conclusion that no one died of disease," he said.