Karra visits cloudburst-hit Chisoti in Kishtwar

Srinagar, Aug 18: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President Tariq Hameed Karra visited Chisoti village in Paddar, Kishtwar district, to assess the ground situation following the devastating cloudburst that claimed 63 lives, left over 100 injured, and many still missing.

Karra was accompanied by Working President Raman Bhalla, senior Congress leader and former minister Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, former MLC Naresh Kumar Gupta, Sham Lal Bhagat and a large contingent of local leadership. The leaders met bereaved families, expressed solidarity with the victims, and reviewed the ongoing rescue and relief operations.

In a statement issued, the JKPCC Chief termed the incident “very tragic” and raised serious concerns over the failure of preventive measures.

“An advisory was issued 48 hours ago, but the question remains – why were people allowed to go there even after that? There are certainly gaps in the rescue operations,” Karra said.

He criticised the Government for the inordinate delay in construction of the Kishtwar-Machail Road, which was sanctioned over 12 years ago but has still not been declared a National Highway. “If the bridge at Chisoti had been completed, the scale of casualties could have been minimised. Many lives would have been saved,” he asserted.

Karra also blamed unchecked deforestation and environmental negligence for worsening natural disasters in the region. “We must realise that playing with nature has dangerous consequences,” he added.