Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 1: Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah too felt tremors, which caused massive damage in the erstwhile Doda district.
“I felt those tremors in Srinagar. Strange thing was that I heard the rumble before the house started shaking”, Omar tweeted on the incident. He said that State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams have been mobilized and district officers sent to the earthquake affected areas.
Meanwhile, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad expressed concern over the loss of life and properties in the earthquake.
Mr Azad while expressing solidarity with the affected people, including those who got injured, has urged the administration to take all possible measures to make the lives of people easier to the extent possible. “Administration has to be responsive and available to address the needs of people in such difficult times”, he added.
He has also advised the administration to rush medical teams to the affected parts so that timely and on spot emergency and other related services are made available to the people.
“While the focus has to be on immediate rescue and relief measures, including prompt shifting of injured and sick to the nearest health facilities, process of speedy and proper assessment of the damages is also to be started simultaneously. It is also important to see that confidence is restored among people and that no panic is caused due to rumors and misinformation”, he said.
Patron of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and president of the party Mehbooba Mufti have also expressed grief over loss of life and properties in the devastating earthquake that rocked Chenab Valley region of erstwhile Doda district.
In a statement, PDP leaders asked the State Government to start rescue operations on war-footing and depute teams of disaster management with advanced equipment to accelerate rescue operations in the affected areas. They also demanded that proper medical facilities should be provided to all injured and if required, teams of doctors and para medical staff should be sent to affected areas immediately.
While expressing concern over the loss of life and property in the earthquake, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Ali Mohammad Sagar said that the Government will extend all the support to the victims of natural calamity.
“The necessary instructions have been issued to the concerned District Administration to assess the loss caused to various structures, so that necessary relief can be provided to them at an earliest”, he said.
Minister for R&B Abdul Majid Wani has also issued directions to district administration, Doda to take up necessary relief and rescue measures in all the affected areas. The Minister, who is in Delhi on an official tour, instructed the concerned agencies to gear up their men and machinery to clear the landslides in various parts of the district that occurred due to earthquake and remain available in the field.
Minister of State for Revenue, Aijaz Khan has directed the Divisional Commissioner and DDCs to get details of losses worked out at the earliest.
Provincial President National Conference Devender Singh Rana also expressed sadness over the damages caused due to earthquake and urged the Government for assessing the loss to compensate the sufferers and providing assistance to injured.
Mr Rana, in a message, particularly, sought immediate make shift arrangements for the students of the affected schools which were damaged due to tremors.
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