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J&K govt announces ex-gratia of ₹5 lakh for kin of Kishtwar cloudburst victims
Those grievously injured would be provided with ₹50,000 each and ₹12,000 under Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) shall also be disbursed.
The government of Jammu & Kashmir on Wednesday announced ex-gratia of ₹5 lakh each for the next of kin of those who were killed in the cloudburst that occurred in Kishtwar district, a statement by the office of lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha informed.
“The grievously injured would be given ₹50,000 each and ₹12,000 under State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) shall also be disbursed,” the statement added.
The deputy commissioner's office would also provide relief amount from the SDRF for loss of houses, clothing, household items, livestock, cattle shed, agricultural land, and utensils to those affected in the disaster. “The J&K government will do everything possible to support and protect the affected families,” the statement further read.
A cloudburst hit Honjar village in the Dacchan area of Kishtwar district around 4am on Wednesday killing at least seven people and injuring 17 so far. Among the injured, six people were reported to be in a critical condition and were undergoing treatment at Kishtwar district hospital, officials said.
Another officer at the Kishtwar police control room said that as many as 26 people were still missing and their “chances of survival looked grim.”
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Officials said SDRF teams from Jammu, Udhampur and Doda have been sent to Kishtwar for rescue operations while a team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and SDRF each were on standby in Srinagar.
“The area is in the upper reaches of Kishtwar and not accessible by road. Jammu SDRF is on standby. The weather is inclement. One team of SDRF from Srinagar is ready to be airlifted,” SDRF commandant VK Singh said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah took stock of the situation and assured that rescue operations would continue and all possible help would be extended for saving as many lives as possible.
Meanwhile, fresh flash floods triggered by another cloudburst were reported near the cave shrine of Shri Amarnath in south Kashmir on Wednesday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its forecast that the “current spell of widespread rainfall activity with isolated heavy to very heavy falls” will likely continue over Jammu and Kashmir till July 30.
