Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 28: Demanding a high level probe to fix the responsibility, Congress today said that 35 lives of Vaishno Devi pilgrims could have been saved, had the authorities suspended the yatra in advance in view of the high weather alert.
Addressing a joint press conference, here today, JKPCC Working President Raman Bhalla, Chief Spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, former Minister Yogesh Sawhney and Ex-MLC I/c HQ Ved Mahajan expressed grave shock and concern over the Mata Vaishno Devi tragedy, claiming that the same could have been averted and the lives saved had the authorities suspended the yatra in advance knowing fully the high weather alert.
Raman Bhalla said that Govt failed to learn lesson from Chashoti tragedy and did not suspend the Vaishno Mata Yatra in time leading to huge loss of lives for which responsibility should be fixed in time frame unlike in the past stampede tragedy a couple of years ago.
Congress leaders referred to the unprecedented loss to the private and public infrastructure, uprooting large number of families in various localities and impressed upon the administration to undertake the relief and restoration works on war footing.
Raman Bhalla, who conducted hectic tour of different affected localities along with a team of senior leaders and local workers during the past two days, stressed that there is immediate need to restore water and power supply besides water tanker service to the affected areas, providing cooked ration and temporary shelter to the people whose households have been damaged/flooded.
Bhalla said that immediate task should be relief and restoration work to provide support to the people who are uprooted. He said that more men and machinery and volunteers need to be utilized in view of the huge loss and damage to the several low lying localities.
Yogesh Sawhney lauded the efforts of civil societies for rendering free langer supply and other assistance but alleged that administration action and support was not visible in most affected areas. He demanded free langer service in different affected areas and accommodating the uprooted families in Banquet Halls and other shelter places till the life is restored.
The Congress leaders regretted that due to dual control system, both LG and Chief Minister visited to assess the situation but held separate review meetings in this crisis which reflects the severe loss to the people under the present system.
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