Tuesday, December 23, 2025
ADVT 
India

Srinagar flooded, internet connectivity snaps

Darpan News Desk IANS, 08 Sep, 2014 08:46 AM
    Flood waters Monday inundated most of Srinagar's residential and commercial areas as people scrambled to save whatever they could from the muddy, swirling waters.
     
    Mobile coverage was patchy across the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir while there was no internet connectivity.
     
    An estimated 70 percent of Srinagar was inundated for a second day Monday.
     
    Water entered shops in the main business hub of Lal Chowk and Residency. Desperate shopkeepers tried to retrieve their goods from the flooded shops.
     
    The death toll in the worst floods in Jammu and Kashmir in over 50 years is said to have crossed 150. However, information is patchy from remote areas now made inaccessible by the flood waters.
     
    The radio and television stations were shut Sunday after flood waters entered the installations.
     
    The authorities appeared ill equipped to battle the terrible calamity but did all they could in the circumstances.
     
    Mobiles went on the blink as private telecom service providers said their towers were badly damaged.
     
    Waters entered the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) headquarters on Maulana Azad Road, forcing its closure.
     
    There was no internet connectivity in the Kashmir Valley.
     
    The only communication tool still up and running is the police wireless system.
     
    Except for inter-district connectivity between Srinagar and north Kashmir's Ganderbal district, all other districts of the valley including Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam, Shopian, Badgam, Baramulla and Bandipora were cut off.
     
    The air force Monday airlifted 70 boats as seven teams of the National Disaster Response Force struggled to save the flood victims. 
     
    Soldiers did a herculean task, rescuing the marooned. The navy deployed marine commandos.
     
    The Srinagar-Jammu highway as well as the Srinagar-Leh highway remained closed for the fourth day Monday.
     
    The floods have hit petrol availability in Srinagar. All petrol pumps were practically running dry, prompting pump operators to ration the fuel to just one litre for each vehicle.
     
    All educational institutes have been shut. All Haj flights to Saudi Arabia have been cancelled till Sep 12.
     
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who reviewed the flood situation Sunday, has called it a national disaster.
     
    The silver lining is that there was sunshine in both the valley and Jammu region, with the weather office saying there would be fair weather for the next four days.
     
    The water level in all mountain streams and seasonal drains has gone down.
    But the Jhelum river, which caused maximum devastation, is still flowing above the danger mark.

    MORE India ARTICLES

    BJP is being encroached by outsiders: Jaswant Singh

    BJP is being encroached by outsiders: Jaswant Singh
    Peeved at being denied a ticket from Rajasthan's Barmer Lok Sabha constituency, senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh Saturday said the party was being encroached by outsiders and there was need to distinguish between the "real" and the "fake" BJP.

    BJP is being encroached by outsiders: Jaswant Singh

    Election Special: Can Modi strike a bargain of decency on Varanasi?

    Election Special: Can Modi strike a bargain of decency on Varanasi?
    Ofcourse there will be some sophistry by which the current scramble for Varanasi will be justified, but there are finer reasons for which the city should be more frequently remembered.

    Election Special: Can Modi strike a bargain of decency on Varanasi?

    Upset Jaswant Singh may dump BJP and fight as independent from Barmer

    Upset Jaswant Singh may dump BJP and fight as independent from Barmer
    Annoyed at not being considered from Rajasthan's Barmer seat, senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh is likely to contest the Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate from the constituency, sources close to him said Saturday.

    Upset Jaswant Singh may dump BJP and fight as independent from Barmer

    A Tribute: Bhagat Singh was a humanist and innately secular

    A Tribute: Bhagat Singh was a humanist and innately secular
    Unfortunately, Bhagat Singh has been grossly commercialised or romanticized. A man who always placed reason far above emotion has been made to be the 'angry young man' of our freedom struggle.

    A Tribute: Bhagat Singh was a humanist and innately secular

    Congress fields Amarinder from Amritsar

    Congress fields Amarinder from Amritsar
    Congress Friday fielded former Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh from Amritsar to take on senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

    Congress fields Amarinder from Amritsar

    AAP expels two leaders for fraud

    AAP expels two leaders for fraud
    Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Friday expelled two leaders as they allegedly tried to provide party tickets for monetary consideration.

    AAP expels two leaders for fraud