Blames govt for failing to warn Srinagar about floods after Anantnag was inundated The Supreme Court-appointed panel set up to assess the ground situation following the floods has recommended a ban on construction along flood-prone rivers, streams and water bodies. Apart from recommending equitable distribution of free ration in flood-hit areas, particularly Srinagar and Udhampur, the five-member panel, in its comprehensive report submitted on October 9, recommended that the supply of essential medicines to hospitals should be made on a “regular basis” so that flood-affected persons “do not suffer any more on account of shortage”. In the report, the government has been blamed for its failure to issue warning and evacuate people in Srinagar when upper reaches of Kulgam and Anantnag in south Kashmir were submerged. “The free ration has not properly been distributed in some districts, particularly Srinagar and Udhampur. The distribution machinery at the district level is required to be geared up and revamped,” the panel stated in its report. “In view of winter, which has set in, blankets and warm clothing are required to be distributed equitably to the flood victims who have not received these so far,” it said. The panel has recommended “concrete steps” for “speedy rehabilitation” of victims living in tents or makeshift accommodation or whose houses have collapsed or severely damaged. The panel has also recommended that all residential areas, particularly in Srinagar district, should be made “worth dwelling in” by clearing the standing flood water and restoring basic services. “The supply of essential medicines is required to be regularly made so that these flood-affected persons do not suffer any more on account of shortage,” the panel recommended, pressing for free supply of medicines, especially life-saving drugs, to the poor flood-affected people for the next six months. The report, while noting that the assessment of the damaged properties had so far not been completed, has recommended that the “disbursement of ex gratia” needs to be “expedited”. “The construction on the beds of flood-prone nullahs and rivers must be strictly banned. Similarly, the laying of cables on hilly roads towards the hillside must be adhered to,” the report recommended. “In case of any violation, accountability must be fixed and the guilty must be made personally liable,” the report says while highlighting the failure of the government to issue advance warnings of floods for Srinagar city even as large parts in south Kashmir had been inundated on September 3 night, much before the city was flooded on September 7. “It was obligatory on the part of the government to warn people about floods in advance so that they could have taken safety measures for protecting their life and property. No such warning was given by the government or by its officials and as such the government has shown dereliction of duty,” reads the section of the report prepared by Kashmir High Court Bar Association president Mian Qayoom, one of the members of the panel, which visited various areas in Srinagar and other flood-hit districts such as Anantnag, Kulgam and Pulwama in Kashmir division and Poonch and Udhampur in Jammu division before preparing the report. Observations of the panel The free ration has not properly been distributed in some districts of the state, particularly in Srinagar and Udhampur. The distribution machinery at the district level must be geared up and revamped so that relief material is equitably distributed to the needy and flood-affected people. The assessment of the damaged properties has so far not been completed; the disbursement of ex gratia must be expedited. The state and the Centre should ensure regular supply of essential medicines so that the flood-affected persons do not suffer any more on account of shortage of medicine.