Excelsior Correspondent
UDHAMPUR, Sept 28: Over 600 land slide victims of Saddal in Panchari area of Udhampur district who were shifted to tents today by the administration were forced to take refuge in the PWD buildings in the area after the heavy rains lashed the upper reaches again this evening and rain water pierced into the tents erected by the J&K Police for them.
“We were left with no alternative but to shift to PWD quarters in the nearby area and take refuge there as the tents erected by the J&K Police could not withstand the heavy rains and entire rain water pierced through them” said Sarpanch Panjar and Saddal Ramesh Singh.
Highlighting the plight of the hapless villagers of Saddal, he said the Government has failed to make arrangements for them even after 22 days of the natural calamity in which 40 people were buried alive in land slide.
He said only 13 bodies have been recovered so far while 27 are still under debris and the Government has failed to recover them. The pal of gloom has descended in the entire area since the tragedy in which besides 40 human lives, over 100 buffalos and cattle, 70 sheep and goat of villagers and 800 to 900 kanals of agricultural land were perished, he added.
Singh, while taking the Government to task said that it failed to make rescue and relief operations on war footing and this remote area has been totally neglected by the authorities. “Whenever the sky is overcast by clouds we tremble as the ghost of September 7 tragedy since haunts us”, he added.
He said the poor villagers who were dependent on their cattle and land to earn their bread and butter have now lost every thing and only help which the Government could extend us in the form of relief was four kgs of rice, three kgs of flour and 300 grams of sugar since then and later no one came to look into their problems, he added.
He said the people needed to be provided permanent shelter at safer places so that they will not met such a tragedy in future but the administration has yet to make up its mind and take a decision in this regard.
Maintaining that the people can’t live in tents in view of approaching Winter and rains, he demanded that houses be constructed for the villagers at safer places.
However the Naib Tehsildar of Tehsil Mongri who was camping in the area said that authorities have identified the land near the village where they will be rehabilitated.
Meanwhile, Love Care Foundation in collaboration with volunteers of Concentrix has decided to construct temporary sheds for these hapless people to save them from the rain and approaching Winter.
The representatives of two organizations who are camping in the area, besides providing relief and medicare facilities to these people have decided to construct temporary sheds for them. They have given a letter to Divisional Commissioner Jammu asking him to allot land for the same.
Raj Nehru, Director H R for Concentrix who along with Sanjay Dadroo National head of Love Care Foundation have decided to adopt the village said they are formulating a long term strategy for their rehabilitation. But for the time being they will construct temporary sheds for them, they added.
Mr Nehru while expressing concern over the plight of these victims said it is shocking that no aid has been received by them in last 22 days except meager ration and Rs 10,000 cash.
He said the Government has left them in a lurch and the area has also no road link. The people are so desperate that they want to sell their remaining cattle as they have no shelter to protect them from rain and cold, he added.
He said 27 bodies are still under debris and it is shocking that the JCB reached the area after 22 days of tragedy to bring out bodies which have been buried in the ground.
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