Will help affected people rebuild lives: CM Omar Abdullah

Ramban/Banihal, Apr 22: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Tuesday assured the people affected by devastation caused by flash-floods and landslides in Ramban that his government would do everything possible to rebuild their lives.

He gave this assurance to the people distraught by destruction when he visited the affected areas for the second consecutive day to personally assess the situation and oversee ongoing relief and restoration efforts.

The affected people at the landslide hit Seri, Ramban market area had halted the Chief Minister’s cavalcade to seek his attention and narrate their woes.

After halting the Chief Minister’s vehicle, few victims, including women, pointed out that their houses were washed away and they did not get any help from the administration. They also shared their dismay that the administration could not restore power and water supply in the affected areas and this was causing distress among them.

The Chief Minister, after listening to them patiently, said that he was there to hear their grievances only. “I’m here to listen to your woes only and take stock of the situation. This is my assurance to you that I’ll do everything possible to rebuild your lives,” he assured them.

The affected people in Seri, Khowbagh and Ramban also protested and appealed to the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to release immediate compensation of damages caused by the torrential rains.

The Chief Minister, responding to people’s complaints about the blockage of drains, culverts during highway construction leading to flash floods, said that he would bring the matter to the notice of the Union Minister Nitin Gadkari for necessary action to sort out this issue.

This was the Chief Minister’s second visit to ravaged areas of Ramban. On the very first day i.e., Sunday, he had sent the Deputy Chief Minister and both NC MLAs to take stock of the situation and monitor relief and rescue operations. Next day i.e., Monday, the Chief Minister himself reached Maroog by road from Srinagar.

On Tuesday, as per his initial schedule, he was to reach Ramban by air and land at Dharamkund, one of the badly affected areas, at 9.15 am to interact with local victims who lost everything in a cloudburst on Sunday morning.

Later he was scheduled to visit devastated Ramban town and chair a meeting with administration at the DC office Ramban. However, due to the landing issue CM’s visit to Dharamkund village was cancelled and he directly reached Ramban.

However, the Chief Minister conducted an aerial survey of the damage caused at Dharmkund and along National Highway-44 (NH-44), accompanied by senior dignitaries.

He later visited various severely impacted locations, including Seri, Boli Bazar, Main Bazar Ramban and the area surrounding Government Higher Secondary School Ramban.

During his visit, the Chief Minister interacted with affected families and assured them of all possible support. He emphasized that the immediate restoration of NH-44 was the topmost priority and directed the district administration to expedite the damage assessment process, covering death cases, structural losses, property damage, agricultural losses, and livestock casualties.

A Government spokesperson said the Chief Minister assured that relief compensation would be provided by the J&K Government to all those affected by the cloudburst. CM Omar further stated that the J&K Government was committed to supporting the victims during this difficult time and would seek assistance from the Central Government to ensure timely and adequate relief measures are extended to the affected families.

He instructed the administration and NHAI to intensify relief and restoration works and assured adequate financial assistance for the same. He further directed for clearing of link roads and removal of debris from residential areas; restoration of power supply and deployment of water tankers to ensure drinking water in affected localities; enhancement of community kitchens (langars) to support displaced families and submission of fund requisition to the Finance Department for immediate financial support from the government.

The Chief Minister also appreciated the prompt response and real-time action by the district administration and Police, which helped save many precious lives, the spokesperson said.

The Chief Minister was accompanied by DDC Chairperson Dr Shamshad Shan; Advisor to CM Nasir Aslam Wani; MLA Banihal Sajad Shaheen; MLA Ramban Arjun Singh Raju; Deputy Commissioner Ramban Baseer-Ul-Haq Chaudhary; SSP Ramban Kulbir Singh and other senior officers.

A review meeting was also held at Ramban, where the Chief Minister took stock of the ongoing rescue, relief, and restoration efforts being carried out by the district administration and stakeholder departments. Advisor Nasir Aslam Wani suggested measures for the timely restoration of essential services and urged early insurance claims processing to avoid delays in compensation, the spokesperson said.

The Chief Minister also directed authorities to strictly regulate construction near water channels and nallahs to prevent obstruction to natural water flow. The DDC Chairperson, MLAs, and other officials highlighted various pressing issues that require immediate attention.

Earlier, Deputy Commissioner Baseer-Ul-Haq Chaudhary briefed the Chief Minister point and incident wise on the tragic incident and the measures undertaken so far for rescue, relief, and restoration across the district.

Meanwhile, power and water supply remained snapped in the majority of the areas of the district on the third consecutive day on Tuesday.

In the district headquarter town (Ramban), the power supply was restored at around 10 pm on Monday. “However, the power was snapped in the morning and could not be restored till late evening,” a local resident stated.

They said that in Maitra and other few areas, where road connectivity was restored, water supply was ensured through tankers. “Yet it was not sufficient,” they added.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and former minister Vikar Rasool visited Maroog, Seri and Ramban areas and criticised the govt for its inability to restore even water, power supply even after the lapse of three days. “They came in vehicles, toured the areas and left, leaving the hapless people in lurch. This is a total failure of the government of the day,” he alleged.