65,000 tonne of rice released for flood-hit Kashmir Valley

Jammu and Kashmir government today said 65,000 tonne of rice have been released for free distribution to flood-affected people in the Valley.
"So far, 65,000 tonne of rice have been distributed free among the flood affected people of the Valley," an official spokesman said after a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah here.
Omar was informed that 8,000 tonne were provided in Srinagar district as against normal requirement of 6,390 tonne.
The Chief Minister was told that dispatch of fruit from the Valley to terminal markets has picked up considerably during last 10 days and more than 6,000 truckloads of fruit have already been dispatched during the current month while another 1,000 truckloads were expected to leave in the next couple of days.

Omar also reviewed the dewatering operation in process in some submerged areas of Srinagar city.
He was informed that over 200 dewatering pumps have been put on the job and most of the areas have now dried up while the focus is on complete dewatering of some areas which are still water logged.

The Chief Minister was told that 80 to 85 per cent power supply was restored while supply of drinking water was going on satisfactorily.
Meanwhile, PDP member from flood-hit Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency Tariq Hamid Karra today asked the state government to come out with details of where it had sent over 14,000 tonne of rice taken from FCI godowns in Pampore and Budgam.

"The state government is duty-bound to come out with the details where these 14,190 tonne of rice, meant for the flood-affected people, have gone," Karra said in a statement.
He alleged that during his visit to two godowns yesterday, he found that 48 trolleys, each carrying 200 tonne of rice, and 51 trucks, carrying 90 tonne of rice each, had disappeared from FCI godowns at Budgam.