Omar Abdullah briefs PM Modi on flood status, seeks liberal financial help

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the status of relief and rehabilitation operations in the flood-hit state and sought liberal financial assistance from the Centre to rebuild the devastated areas.

The Prime Minister arrived here this afternoon to spend Diwali with the flood-hit people of the Valley. He was received at the airport by Governor N N Vohra and the Chief Minister. The Prime Minister held a meeting at the airport which was attended by the Governor, the Chief Minister and some top officials of the state administration.

During the meeting, Omar briefed the Prime Minister about the relief and rehabilitation operations going on in the flood-hit areas, officials said. They said Omar pitched for a liberal financial assistance from the Centre for rebuilding the devastated areas in the state, they said.

This is Modi's second visit to J-K after the recent floods. During his first visit on September seven after the natural calamity struck the state, the Prime Minister had announced a Rs 1,000-crore special assistance package for rehabilitation of the victims.

Omar had yesterday expressed the hope the Prime Minister would accept the state government's demand for a Rs 44,000-crore package for relief to the flood-hit people.

After taking stock of the situation at the airport, Modi flew in a helicopter to Raj Bhawan to hold interactions with delegations of political parties, business community and civil society.

Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which a constituent of State Economic Reconstruction Forum (SERF), claimed that their representatives were dropped from the list of persons scheduled to meet the Prime MInister.

"Apparently some mischief has been played which will send wrong signals to the business community," a KCCI member said.

He said KCCI was informed by the state administration that the names of chamber representatives were recommended for the meeting but were dropped by the Prime Minister's Office.

Earlier, the Prime MInister visited Siachen Glacier, the highest battlefield of the world, to spend Diwali with the soldiers posted there.

During the meeting with the Prime Minister at the airport, Omar briefed him about the gigantic challenge of reconstructing Jammu and Kashmir and rehabilitating the flood affected families.

He also took up the issue of hardships that may be faced by the people in the wake of approaching winter if their problems are not addressed at the earliest.

Omar thanked Modi for his gesture of spending Diwali in the state's Ladakh and Kashmir region.

A National Conference delegation led by Nasir Aslam and Davender Rana, party presidents of Kashmir and Jammu respectively, raised the issue of problems faced by the people in Jammu region due to shelling from across the border and sought for adequate compensation in view of damages to their homes and crops.