For Rescue Ops in Kashmir, Armed Forces Charged Rs 500 Crore

For relief and rescue operations during the floods that battered Kashmir last year, the armed forces produced a bill of Rs. 500 crore, reveal documents accessed by NDTV.

To pay the forces, the Centre diverted money from Rs. 1,602 crore given to Jammu and Kashmir as part of the State Disaster Response Fund.

300 people died and over 1.5 million were affected in the floods that devastated large parts of Kashmir, especially Srinagar, in September.

Over two lakh people, including tourists, were rescued by the forces and essential supplies like food, water and medicine were air-dropped in what was called “Operation Megh Rahat.”

Documents accessed exclusively by NDTV show that the operation came with a large bill for services rendered.

A letter dated February 6, 2015, from the home ministry to the state government on central assistance, lists “payment of Air Bills for airdropping of essential supplies and rescue (tentative Rs. 500 crore) as per actual, based on the bills raised by the ministry of defence.”

The state government has been asking for a better package for flood relief from the Centre, which recently announced Rs. 551 crore for the rebuilding of houses in Jammu. Many in the state believe the Centre’s package is unfair to parts of the state that were worst affected in the floods, including the Kashmir Valley.