Supreme Court sets up panel to assess Jammu and Kashmir floods

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today appointed a five-member committee headed by Senior Registrar of Jammu and Kashmir High Court to ascertain the ground situation of the flood-affected state and asked it to file its report within two weeks.

A bench headed by Chief Justice R M Lodha expressed satisfaction over the relief and rehabilitation work done by the state government and the Centre.

It questioned the petitioners for taking differing stands on the issue as one of the them said that the state government is not doing anything while the other contended that National Conference is taking all the credit for work in the state as the election is due.

"If an election is due in few months then can you expect state government to sit idle. It would go an extra mile to reach the people and to ensure that people get relief," the bench said.

The state government also assured the court that safe drinking water would be made to all flood-affected people within three days and a reverse osmosis plant will soon be set up for the purpose.

The bench directed the committee, also comprising Relief and Rehabilitation Secretary of the state, one representative of Centre and Presidents of Bar Associations of Jammu and Kashmir, to place its report before the High Court.

It said that the High Court can also pass order on the basis of the report and the case pending before it would not be an impediment in its way to pass appropriate order.

The court was hearing petitions filed by Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party chief Bhim Singh, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves and advocate Vasundhra Pathak Masoodi.