Odia family stranded in Kashmir

Odisha Channel Bureau Jagatsinghpur, Sep 10: An Odia family from Jagatsinghpur district, who had gone for a vacation in Jammu and Kashmir, is stranded in flood-ravaged valley for over a week.Binayak Pattnaik (59), his spouse Chinmayee Pattnaik and their two sons from Chatara village near Jagatsinghpur town had made their way to Vaishno Devi temple on September 1.Since then, relatives lost contact with the four-member family.“My parents and brothers were stuck in a hotel in Kajikund area of Anantnag district about 45 Km from Srinagar.My husband Sambit Satrujit Das is an Air Force staffer based in Srinagar.It was on his invitation; my family was on a trip to J&K,” said Kisha Goutami Pattnaik (28), a bank official working in Bhubaneswar.While on their way to Srinagar a four wheeler on 3 September, they were left stranded as the vehicle carrying them had failed to move ahead.The road communication was cut off due to heavy landslides, she recalled.I could talk to my parents yesterday night only after a week gap.They told me that they are safe.They are stuck in a hillside hotel.Though the area is not flood hit, there is acute scarcity of food.My parents are also unable to contact their son-in-law who is in air force.I am praying for the safety of my family, she bemoaned. “The stranded family is safe in Jammu and Kashmir.The state government has taken up the matter with the joint-resident commissioner; New Delhi for the airlifting of the stranded family members from Kajikund,” said Jagatsinghpur Collector Satya Kumar Mallick.