J&K floods: Army, IAF, Navy play crucial role in rescue operations

Srinagar, September 8: As the floods in Jammu and Kashmir continue to create havoc in the state since last week, the Indian army soldiers have been at the forefront in carrying out the rescue operations.

"Indian Army will not move back to the barracks till the last man is brought to safety", General Dalbir Singh, Chief of the Army Staff said on Monday.

All the three forces- Indian army, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy have been deployed to carry out the speedy rescue and relief operations in the flood-hit areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

While talking to OneIndia, Retired Air Marshal and Bangalore-resident B K Pandey told what would have been the consequences if the AFSPA had been removed from Jammu and Kashmir and in the absence of Army, how would have been the present situation be tackled.

"People often forget the God and doctors, once their adversities are over. Same is the case of the Indian army in Jammu and Kashmir. The situation in the state would have worsened in the absence of army. The army has built various relief camps where they are providing food, medicines and other facilities to flood victims", he said.

Colonel RD Bali said that the national disaster management preparedness is not up to the mark as it should be.

According to Colonel Bali, the army soldiers are imparted a specific training to deal with natural disasters like floods. During such crisis, the trained army jawans can prove to be a boon in saving lives of the stranded people.

Relief and rescue teams

Massive rescue operations were underway today to evacuate tens of thousands of people stranded in floods in Jammu and Kashmir as the situation remained grim with most parts of Srinagar city still under water and bad communication lines and high water levels posing a big challenge.

• 23 aircrafts of IAF and 26 helicopters have been deployed
• 6 teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
• 200 Marcos commandos of the Indian Navy

Meanwhile, the Indian army has been constantly upadating the relief work progress on Twitter:

ARMY HELPLINE NUMBERS FOR EMERGENCY CALLS : #ArmyRescue #KashmirFloods011-23019831011- 23322045 pic.twitter.com/SEJWYltrHX

— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) September 8, 2014

Each Person Matters for Us : A Special Forces rescue mission for Mohammad Shafique in Vill- Hidayatpur #ArmyRescue pic.twitter.com/uzYfQSWtD8

— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) September 7, 2014

Ongoing flood relief operations in J&K.#ArmyRescue pic.twitter.com/gtgBpcGJI3

— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) September 7, 2014

Update : 2000 + provided with shelter,3500 with food & 3000+ with medical aid. 200 +Army columns employed #ArmyRescue pic.twitter.com/IZblatiAg8

— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) September 7, 2014

Flood relief update : 15000 + personnel rescued from Jammu & Srinagar regions.#ArmyRescue pic.twitter.com/xjGTaw8jO7

— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) September 7, 2014

Flood relief update : More than 3000 personnel evacuated from Paragwal Sector, Jammu. #ArmyRescue pic.twitter.com/IO3Sc8L73F

— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) September 7, 2014

Flood relief update : 13000 + personnel rescued from Jammu & Srinagar regions. #ArmyRescue pic.twitter.com/YDT7E7JGnO

— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) September 6, 2014

Ongoing flood relief operations in J&K. #ArmyRescue pic.twitter.com/ULBJwihv8K

— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) September 6, 2014

Update:16 Relief Camps established & 65+ Medical Teams in action. . #ArmyRescue #KashmirFloods

— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) September 8, 2014

Flood relief update : 20000 + personnel rescued from Jammu & Srinagar regions. #ArmyRescue #KashmirFloods

— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) September 8, 2014

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