404 missing people yet to contact help desk: Karnataka State Disaster Management
Bengaluru: According to the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority officials, 404 tourists from the state haven’t been contacted yet. Speaking to this newspaper, an officer working with the Authority’s call center informed that according to the information they collected, 660 tourists from various parts of Karnataka were still stranded in the valley state.
Among them, 256 are in touch with the state help desk at Srinagar. Efforts are on to contact the rest of the tourists. Water level reduces: According to the state revenue department officials who are monitoring the flood situation at Jammu and Kashmir, the water level has dropped and it is possible to walk on the roads now.
‘‘According to our officials who are monitoring the rescue work, on Thursday it was possible to walk on the roads. Army personnel were using trucks to shift the stranded tourists and locals. Karnataka tourists are staying 15 to 20 kilometers away from the Srinagar airport and everyone will be brought to the airport at the earliest,’’ he said.
No cancellation fee, full ticket amount refund: According to the Authority officials, all the airlines have assured that they will be refunding the total amount for the passengers from Karnataka who could not catch their flights till now. ‘‘There will not be any cancellation fee. The full amount will be refunded,’’ he said. J N Walia recalled: According to sources at the state revenue department, the state government has recalled Mr. JN Walia, one of the two officials sent to Srinagar to coordinate with rescue operations.
According to sources, the decision to recall Mr Walia was taken following the discovery that he tried to misuse the situation for a family outing. ‘‘Another officer from Karnataka Bhavan has been sent to Srinagar and rescue operations are in full swing. We are trying to locate as many tourists as possible and send them back to Karnataka,’’ informed a senior officer.
- Total Karnataka residents missing in J&K: 660
- Those who have contacted help desk: 256
- Tourists yet to establish contact: 404
