Ramban/Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday reached “Ground Zero” at Ramban to assess the damage caused by the flash floods triggered by the cloudburst.
Talking to the reporters after taking stock of the situation, the Chief Minister said, “All the possible support will be provided to the victims and efforts are on to restore the traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar-National Highway.”
“Several vehicles have come under the debris as the whole road has collapsed. The alignment of the road needs to be changed. The debris will be cleared and the vehicles under it will be removed,” he said, adding, “ We are trying to complete the restoration work immediately.”
Replying to a query, the Chief Minister said, “It is not a national disaster but a local disaster. We will provide the compensation to sufferers and will also talk to the Centre in this regard.”
Accompanied by the Deputy Commissioner Ramban and senior civil and police officials, the Chief Minister travelled by road from Srinagar to reach Marog, one of the worst-hit villages. Demonstrating the deep concern and commitment of his government, he trekked several kilometres on foot through rugged terrain to reach Kela Morh, where the cloudburst had triggered flash floods, leaving a trail of destruction.
The natural calamity has claimed the lives of three persons, while causing extensive damage to residential structures, vehicles, and critical road infrastructure. Ramban district, often referred to as the lifeline between the Kashmir Valley and Jammu, remained cut off for the second consecutive day due to debris and damage along the National Highway, J&K’s primary transport artery.
Interacting with local residents and officials from the district administration, the Chief Minister was briefed on the scale of the damage and the progress of ongoing rescue and relief operations. He expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and assured that the government stands shoulder to shoulder with the victims of this tragedy.
“The scale of destruction is deeply distressing. Our administration is on the ground, working tirelessly to ensure the safety, relief, and rehabilitation of every affected family,” CM Omar Abdullah said.
“We will leave no stone unturned in standing by our people during this difficult time,” he added.
He further directed the concerned departments to expedite restoration work on the highway to resume vehicular movement at the earliest.
The district administration informed the Chief Minister that clearance operations are in full swing, with teams from the Public Works Department (PWD), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), disaster response units, police, volunteers, and the local population working round the clock to remove mudslides and boulders and restore normalcy in the affected area.
Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister had told reporters in Srinagar that he had sent Deputy Chief Minister and two other local MLAs to the spot to assess the situation and efforts are on to restore the highway immediately.
Referring to the monetary relief being arranged for the sufferers, Omar had said, “Arrangements are being made for the relief while the PM relief fund and other funds will be tapped so that the people get compensation.”
Urging people to refrain from hoarding, Omar said, “I want to assure people that there is no shortage of essentials. The government and officials have been strictly directed to act tough against the black marketing and unnecessary price hike while police will also be involved to act against these persons and if needed, the arrests will also be made in this regard.”
He appealed to people to inform the government in case of black marketing.
He added that Srinagar-Jammu highway is presently closed, but if the need arises, Mughal Road will be used to bring the essentials.
Pertinently, three people including two minor siblings died on Sunday after the cloudburst hit Ramban area while the landslides also blocked the National Highway and also caused damage in the residential areas of the district, prompting the administration to launch rescue and relief operation. Several families were also shifted to the safer places.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister, while replying to a query said that the Supreme Court has been authorized to review the actions taken by the Centre or any other government. “Didn’t we approach SC on Article 370 issue; the Parliament’s action was reviewed. Was not the emergency declared during Indira Gandhi’s tenure challenged in the court. Approaching the court to challenge the decision should not be given political color. The court has its own jurisdiction and the legislation has its own.”
“In Assembly we have done whatever we could have done and later we approached the court where we have got some relief for now.
There are no negative results, at least the SC while discussing the case has compelled the Centre to move backwards. For now, the interference of non-Muslims has been stopped and the self declared Waqf is not being stopped. Let the Supreme Court do its job, we will wait for its verdict,” he added. (With inputs from KNO)
CM reaches ground zero, assures help
