Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 12: Thirty two families were rendered homeless after devastating fire reduced to ashes around 24 houses in remote village of Kishtwar district on the intervening night of February 11 and 12. As the area is inaccessible because of heavy snow, Minister of State for Home, Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo conducted aerial survey of the village and later announced two months free ration for the affected families.
Reports said that on the intervening night of February 11 and 12, devastating fire broke out in one house at Tun village of Padder tehsil bordering Paangi area of Himachal Pradesh and within no time all the 24 houses adjoining each other were reduced to ashes. However, there was no loss of human life as soon after noticing the fire in one house all the villagers came out of their houses.
Besides houses, large number of cattle heads got perished in the devastating fire as people could not get any opportunity to bring out the animals from the sheds, reports said, adding cause of fire and exact loss suffered by the villages could not be ascertained immediately in view of the remoteness of the village, which is situated at a distance of 120 kilometers from the district headquarters.
As soon as the district administration came to know about the incident in the morning, some teams were deputed to the village for the assistance of the affected population. However, only one team managed to reach the village by this evening. The other teams carrying essential items would be able to reach the affected village tomorrow.
Later in the day, Minister of State for Home, Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo flew in the chopper from the district headquarter to personally take stock of the situation in the village mostly inhibited by the Buddhists. However, chopper could not land due to hostile landing conditions. The Minister returned to district headquarters after conducting aerial survey of the village.
During a detailed meeting at District Headquarters to review relief operations, the Minister expressed sympathies with the affected families and announced two-month free ration, Rs 10,000 each to the family of fire victims as well as Rs 15,000 each under Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) for the construction of gutted homes. Around 200 blankets by district and divisional administration will be rushed to the affected village for the victims of the inferno.
The MoS Home has asked the Deputy Commissioner, Mohammad Saleem, to immediately make arrangements for boarding/lodging of the victims who have lost their homes and hearths in the blaze. “Whatever we are providing now is interim relief. All help will be extended to the fire victims and new houses will be constructed for them soon,” Kichloo said, adding Deputy Commissioner will personally monitor relief measures being undertaken to facilitate the victims.
He has also asked the Deputy Commissioner to make mandatory presence of all tehsil-level officers in Padder, who will ensure that victims are provided all basic facilities.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner said, “the affected population would be kept in the Panchayat Ghars and in adjoining villages till their houses are constructed under the IAY scheme”, adding “the ascertaining of exact loss suffered by the villagers due to gutting of their houses and perishing of cattle heads would take some time”.
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