5 families shifted after land sinking in Dalwass

Ramban, May 2: After land subsidence in the Dalwass area near the Chenani-Nashri tunnel, district administration Ramban shifted at least five families to safer places on Thursday.

Officials said deep cracks had been reported in several houses in the Dalwass area of Batote in Ramban district following incessant rains two days back.

They said that on Wednesday night, the house of Swami Raj and Babu Ram, both sons of Devia Megh of Ward 7, Dalwas, Ramban, developed cracks due to the sinking of land.

Both the families were shifted to a shelter shed of the Public Works Department (PWD) at Lower Dalwass. Naib Tehsildar Chanderkote Farooq Mirza along with Patwari and officials visited the area to monitor the situation.

Meanwhile, villagers are wary of staying in their houses and requested the administration to shift them to safer places.

Revenue and Police officials said that on Thursday morning they received reports of land subsidence and the developing of cracks in the houses in Dalwass. They said five families were affected who were shifted to safer places around the village and accommodated in the shelter shed of PWD in Dalwass.

Om Singh, a local, said that the verandah of his house and the street in front of his house developed wide cracks. Another house of Rattan Singh, son of Sunit Singh of Karm, Ramban, developed cracks due to the sinking of land. However, this family has not been shifted yet.

The administration is busy preparing a report of the total number of houses damaged, evacuated families, loss suffered due to land subsidence, and demands of the affected people to submit it to the higher authorities.

The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has declared two wards of Panchayat Parnote 'A' unsafe given the growing threat of land subsidence that resulted in damages to around 60 houses while over 100 persons have been evacuated to safer places since April 25.

Authorities have provided all possible help to the affected people. Experts of the Geology Survey of India conducted a detailed survey of the area.