Omar orders prefab structures for homeless Kashmir flood victims

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Friday directed the state administration to procure prefabricated structures to provide shelter ahead of the onset of winter to those rendered houseless by the recent floods.

"Let it be 500 prefab structures in the first phase," he said.

"You should take a call on this aspect right now and move forward urgently to procure prefab structures," the chief minister told Kashmir divisional commissioner Rohit Kansal at a high-level meeting here Friday morning while being briefed by various departments regarding the progress on rehabilitation of flood-hit families.

The chief minister said all arrangements should be finalized to provide temporary shelters and warm clothing to the affected families residing in tents and other temporary camps.

He also directed the state housing department to give permission speedily to the people who want to rebuild their collapsed houses.

The divisional commissioner informed the meeting that Rs.15 crore interim relief has been distributed so far to the families whose houses have been totally destroyed.

The chief minister asked officials to finalize the list of people whose crops have been damaged 50 percent or have failed due to the floods.

The chief minister asked his principal secretary, B.B. Vyas, to take up the issue of billing and restoring the cell phone services with the BSNL and other telecom companies.

"I myself will write to the union telecommunications minister in this regard", he said.

He also asked the state power development department not to bill consumers for the period electricity remained cut off because of the floods.

"You cannot bill the people for the period they were inundated," he said.