Trail of destruction in south Kashmir
Kulgam, Mar 3: Fierce winds and driving rains on Saturday hit parts of south Kashmir, leaving hundreds of residential houses damaged in these areas. Several parts of Kulgam, Anantnag, Pulwama, and Shopian districts witnessed heavy winds and rain from Saturday afternoon, causing significant damage to more than 200 houses.
The ferocious storms, according to the affected residents, continued to blow for several hours.
“I have never seen such an intense windstorm lasting for so long,” said Adil Hussain of Kulgam's Nanadimarg village. He said that in his village around 15 to 20 structures were damaged.
SDM Noorabad, Kulgam, Bashir-ul-Hassan told Greater Kashmir that over 90 structures were damaged in Noorabad.
He said that the officials from the Revenue Department were assessing the damage and the affected families would be given compensation as per the norms.
An official from Kulgam said that more than 100 structures were damaged in D H Pora, Devsar Pahloo, and Qazigund areas of the district.
He said that DH Pora was the most affected area where more than seven dozen houses were partially or extensively damaged.
In neighbouring Anantnag district, the gusty winds and rains damaged over 90 structures.
“These properties were damaged in Verinag and Dooru areas,” the official said.
The overnight rains and windstorms also damaged houses in Shopian and Pulwama districts.
In Devpora, an outlying village inhabited by the people from marginalised Gujjar community, in Shopian district, the intense winds toppled a lofty tree on the house of Muhammad Rafiq Deedad.
Deedad’s family was sleeping inside their house when the incident occurred.
“The tree crashed on our house at around midnight and we had a narrow escape,” said Deedad.
He said that it caused extensive damage to his house.
In Yar village of Pulwama, the intense rains late on Friday night triggered a landslip, causing damage to a residential house.
The locals rushed to the house and rescued the family.
The district administration visited the village and took stock of the situation.
The officials from the Revenue Department also assessed the damage.
Meanwhile, CPI (M) leader Ghulam Nabi Malik demanded adequate compensation to the affected families.
He appealed to the administration to assess the damage caused due to windstorms and rains.
