J-K govt's ex-gratia relief package insufficient: PDP

Opposition PDP today termed the Jammu and Kashmir government's ex-gratia relief package for the houses fully damaged by the floods as insufficient, saying the devastation needs to be responded with extraordinary measures.
"The state government's ex-gratia relief package for the houses fully damaged by the devastating floods is as a cruel joke. Rs 70,000 relief for fully damaged pucca house announced by the state government is insufficient even for the construction of a cowshed," senior PDP leader and MP Tariq Hameed Karra said.
"Similarly, grossly inadequate Rs 12,600 ex-gratia relief has been announced for severely damaged pucca house and Rs 3,800 for severely damaged kuchha house," Karra said while interacting with flood-affected people in and around Batamaloo area.

Karra said that given the magnitude of the catastrophe, the state government should espouse a humanitarian approach in reaching out to the flood-affected people instead of pursuing the archaic bureaucratic norms.
"The devastation caused by the scourging floods in Kashmir has resulted in an extraordinary situation, that needs to be responded with extraordinary measures setting aside the so-called official prescripts," he said.
Expressing grave concern over the acute scarcity of rations in the flood-affected areas, Karra said after having drowned Kashmir, particularly Srinagar, in the distressing deluge because of its ineptness, the state government headed by Omar Abdullah was now messing up the post-flood relief and rehabilitation measures.