Assessment to be used for Central help
*Exercise to take time as losses continue
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Aug 30: The administration has asked the Deputy Commissioners of all 10 districts of the Jammu region to carry out detailed assessment of damages caused to Government infrastructure and civilian property in recent rain-related incidents.
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Sources told the Excelsior that the Deputy Commissioners have been asked to draft damage reports of Government infrastructure and civilian property separately and submit them to the Government with tentative amount of losses.
“There has been heavy damage to Government infrastructure and civilian assets like houses, shops, crops, land etc in almost all 10 districts of the region in multiple cloudbursts, landslides and flash floods. The Deputy Commissioners have been asked to get field reports from the staff about the damages,” they said.
Senior functionaries have been in touch with top Central leadership for special package for restoration of both infrastructure as well as providing relief to the people badly hit by the rains.
“There have been two types of damages to the Government infrastructure. One, the infrastructure, which has to be re-constructed/repaired by the Central Government agencies like National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Border Roads Organisation (BRO) etc. Second, the roads, bridges, nullahs, lanes, by lanes etc which are responsibility of the Government,” the sources said.
A large number of houses, shops have been damaged-either completely or partially while crops and even fields and lands have been washed away at many places causing immense losses to the people including farmers.
Some of the Deputy Commissioners approached by the Excelsior on telephone said the task will take time as there has been no let up in the damages because of continuous rains. Only today, there were 11 more casualties in rain-related incidents besides damage to property and other infrastructure.
The Government is confident that the Central Government will help in restoration of damaged infrastructure as well as providing compensation to civilians who have suffered heavy losses in the rains.
While Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Jammu on August 24, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is visiting the region to take detailed assessment of damages caused by cloudbursts followed by landslides and heavy rains.
Nearly 160 people have been killed in the cloudbursts, landslides and floods across the region.
Ninety seven people, mostly the pilgrims of Shri Machail Mata Ji have been killed in cloudburst at Chashoti in Kishtwar district on August 14. While 65 bodies have been recovered, 32 persons are still missing. Thirty four pilgrims of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji shrine lost their lives at Adh-Kunwari landslide on August 26.
Eleven persons were killed today including seven in Reasi and four in Ramban while seven persons died in Kathua cloudburst.
“The Central Government compensation is expected to be comprehensive going by the damages caused by cloudburst followed by flashfloods,” the sources said.
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