Jamshedpur: A city resident Santosh Kumar Singh has safely returned to his home town following the traumatic experience of the floods that swept away many houses and lives in Jammu and Kashmir recently.
Posted in Rajbag, Srinagar, as a supervisor at a flyover construction site under Siplex Infrastructure Limited, Santosh was rescued by the Indian Army and finally sent to New Delhi from where he headed for his hometown on Wednesday last. He arrived here late night.
Narrating the horrendous experience, he said, �I and many others were caught in the flood on 6th September early morning. By noon, the flood waters had reached the second floor of the apartment where I was put up.
People started fleeing the place. There were 10 to 12 more people stuck up in the building. They were also rescued by the Army and other volunteers. I can never forget those nightmarish times.�
According to Santosh, many flats collapsed in the flood and numerous people were buried alive in the deep waters. Those who had come to save the victims by risking their lives also lost their lives in the brave task they could not accomplish, he recalled.
Santosh was distressed in his building in Srinagar for more than a week. He prayed for a safe departure from the place which was finally granted by the Almighty.
�I thank God for my safe return and pray for the safety of others. I was penniless and helpless in Srinagar. I somehow contacted my family and returned home,� he said.
Nirmala Singh, wife of Santosh, said she had talked to her husband on 7th September after which he could not be contacted. Worried, she quit her normal routine as the entire family was stressed. On 12th September, Santosh called up from New Delhi and informed the family that he was all right. Now the family does not want Santosh to go back to Srinagar.
Santosh said that some of the government staff appointed for rescue work by the J&K administration discriminated against outsiders while saving lives. But the Central government-appointed rescue workers and Army jawans improved the situation by saving one and all.
He said the flood water may take two to three months to clear out.
Sunil Kumar Singh, brother of Santosh, said he was preparing to go to Srinagar to bring his brother back. But soon, the worries faded away with the news of wellbeing of Santosh, he said in an emotional tone.