124 houses of Sikhs damaged in J&K floods, says SGPC

Amritsar, Punjab: After assessing the loss of life and property caused by the devastating floods in Jammu and Kashmir, the SGPC panel has submitted a detailed report to SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar. Makkar said the business as well as residential property of the Sikhs living in Kashmir had been badly damaged.

He said they would soon take a decision about their rehabilitation. He, however, said they were yet to work out the details about the aid to be extended to the Sikh families there.

“We will see how best we can help them in the hour of crisis,” he said. The SGPC had set up yet another sub-committee to chalk out the plan to carry forward the relief operations and carry out rehabilitation work, but it was yet to submit its report, he said. The panel is likely to hold a meeting soon and submit its report.

The SGPC has collected elaborate data about the losses caused to the Sikhs residing in the Kashmir Valley. These families were asked to fill up a form with all their details, including business and residential property. These forms were distributed to the Sikhs living in different areas of Srinagar.

As per the data collected by the SGPC panel, around 124 houses belonging to the Sikhs were damaged in floods, out of which 50 per cent were completely destroyed while the rest suffered partial damage. Similarly, they have collected details about their business losses. The SGPC intends to extend aid only to the Sikh community living in Kashmir.

Earlier, it had carried out relief operations and extended a helping hand to all the people cutting across caste, creed and religion. The relief operations by the SGPC are still underway. The SGPC had sent 800 tonnes of ration to flood-affected areas, besides sending its medical team to provide necessary aid to the people. It is still running ‘langar’ facility at Gurdwara Shaheed Ganj, Budgam.

The findings

• The SGPC has compiled a report on the damage suffered by Sikhs in J&K floods
• The report says 50 per cent of the 124 houses are completely destroyed

Source: The Tribune