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Ramban land subsidence: Rescue ops on, kitchen made operational 24x7 at campsite
Additional district commissioner Varunjeet Singh Charak informed that nearly 50 families have been affected by the land subsidence
Following massive land subsidence on Thursday night in Pernote village of Ramban district that displaced 500 people, damaged 50 to 55 houses, uprooted four HT towers and a receiving station, and damaged 1,000 metres of road stretch, the administration, on Saturday, continued with its efforts to mitigate the sufferings of the affected people, said officials.
“We continued with our efforts to mitigate the sufferings of the people. A kitchen has been made operational 24x7 to support families at the campsite at Pernote, reinforcing our ongoing rescue and rehabilitation endeavors,” said Ramban district commissioner Baseer-ul-Haq Chaudhary.
Additional district commissioner Varunjeet Singh Charak informed that nearly 50 families have been affected by the land subsidence.
“The houses within one km radius have been damaged, some fully and some partially,” he said.
Charak also mentioned that teams from NDRF, SDRF, and local NGOs were involved in the rescue operations.
The administration has sought experts from the IIT and GSI to study the phenomenon and accordingly file a report.
SK Gautam, Commanding Officer in General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF), said, “Since Thursday evening, small cracks have been developing on the link road near Pernote village. A road of length 1,000 metres has sunk. The mass movement is still on. The restoration work has not yet started because the movement is still on.” Villagers reported that their crops have also been damaged due to the land subsidence.
Following rains on Saturday, the affected families have been shifted to a community centre in Ramban. However, the relief camp and DDMA Ramban Camp Office shall remain functioning in Pernote Panchayat, said an official.
Villagers of Gool and Sangaldan are making use of train service between Sangaldan and Khari to reach Ramban district headquarters or to access the NH44 (Jammu-Srinagar national highway).
In February 2023, a similar landslide had happened at Duksar in Sangaldan. In September 2014 also, a similar disaster occurred at Dhadam in Gool when the rainwater had stagnated in the fields and seeped into the land causing subsidence.
