Minister visits disaster site, lauds integrated efforts of admn, people
Avtar Bhat
CHASHOTI/JAMMU Aug 16: Terming the Chashoti cloud burst a grave disaster and tragedy, Union Minister in PMO with Independent charge of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr Jitendra Singh today said that Modi Government will take all measures providing compensation more than expected lines to the disaster victims.
The Union Minister, who visited the cloudburst disaster site in Chashoti area of district Kishtwar, said it was a natural calamity and a grave disaster. Talking to media persons at disaster site and alter during his visit to Medical College Jammu to see the condition of injured persons, Dr Jitendra Singh said it was a grave disastrous incident in comparison to recent cloudbursts in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and no one had expected such a tragedy will befall.
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He, however, said Modi Government will provide every sort of help to victims and their families as Prime Minister, is himself monitoring the situation and he isin touch with Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah and Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha.
“Government will do its best at its level and the PM has assured this himself to UT administration. The Centre will provide all support to the UT Government”, he added.
He lauded the integrated joint efforts of the Government and the people in carrying out the rescue and the relief operation.
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Earlier, Dr. Jitendra Singh had tried to reach the site in an Air Force Helicopter but when the air sortie got suspended because of the inclement weather, he took the road route and could reach the exact site only by midnight. “After a long tedious uphill drive, he managed to reach the site of cloudburst disaster in Chashoti, Kishtwar very late around midnight”, Dr. Jitendra Singh tweeted past midnight.
The Minister was received at the site by LOP J&K Assembly Sunil Sharma and senior officers of administration, including Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Ramesh Kumar, DIG Sridhar Patil and senior officers of the Kishtwar district administration. They took him around the site and also explained to him the enormity of the damage caused.
Dr. Jitendra Singh told media persons that, he deeply appreciated the courageous efforts of the military, paramilitary forces, J&K Police and the administration, who have left no stone unturned in doing whatever best they could do in this precarious situation, marked by natural calamity coupled with natural constraints of difficult hilly terrain, inadequate connectivity and inclement weather.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said, equal appreciation is also due to the local residents, who were the first to swing into action when everyone was taken by surprise by a massive fatal cloudburst on the afternoon of 14th August.
When asked about the support being provided by the Government, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, “What can be more reassuring than the thought that Prime Minister, Narendra Modi is personally monitoring the situation”. He said, Prime Minister Modi immediately tweeted and then held a review meeting. Later, he has been in touch both with the Chief Minister as well as the Lieutenant Governor.
The Minister said that all help is being provided to the affected area in spite of the constraints of weather and situation not allowing air flights to operate. He informed that for the last two days, two helicopters carrying necessary equipment are stationed at Udhampur waiting for the weather to improve. However, he appreciated the efforts of the SDRF, the NDRF, the Paramilitary, the Air Force and the Army for having transported all the necessary equipment overnight in vehicles by road.
He said, when a suggestion came that BRO equipment was required to clear the debris through the equipment used in the road construction, that too has been made available from today.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said, as the elected local Member of Parliament from this area he was also particularly pained, because before 2014, this holy place carrying Machail Yatra was fully neglected and it was only after Prime Minister, Modi came that our request was accepted to provide basic amenities over here.
He recalled that only in the last 10 years, this area got road connectivity, mobile towers, electricity, drinking water, toilets, etc. In fact, one new bridge which had been recently constructed, also got washed away in the floods.
He said the road was constructed and bridge over it was under construction which was washed away in the cloudburst. The people had recently celebrated the construction of the road also but it too was washed away.
When asked about the casualties, the Minister said that officially, the figure that can be given is 53 because these are the dead bodies which we have actually found from the debris. But at the same time, he hastened to add that it is scary to predict how many more may be lying buried under the debris and how many might have got washed away in the rapidly flowing waters within those 15 deadly seconds.
Dr Jitendra Singh said out of 53 bodies recovered four are yet to be indentified. He said it is yet to be aseetained as to how many bodies are under debris as reprots suggested that about 2000 people were at langar and outside it at the time of disaster.
He said as it was the week end and festival of Janamashtami the people had come on pilgrimage to the holy shrine and maximum people were from Jammu , Udhampur and Reasi districts.
At Medical College Jammu where Dr Jitendra Singh took round of the wards where injured patients were admitted, he talked to them and inquired about their condition. He gave instructions to Principal Medical College Jammu, Dr Ashtosh Gupta to discharge the patients with minor injuries so that their families are relieved of the worry.
He said out of 67 patients with injuries admitted in GMC Jammu 15 have been discharged. He said the GMC doctors led by Principal and nursing staff besides medicare are providing humanitarian service to the injured people admitted in the Hospital.
Dr Jitendra Singh said he had decided to shift the patients with grievous injuries to PGI but there was no such a serious case to be shifted there. He said no one can compensate for the loss of death as it is too grave to be compensated but every possible step will be taken to provide better medicare treatment to injured and compensation to victims.
He said being an MP of the area a helpline Cell has been created by him and two employees of his Gandhi Nagar Office will remain available at GMC Jammu to provide any sort of help needed by injured people in cloudburst.
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