Union Minister Jitendra Singh reviewed the rescue and relief operations in Jammu and Kashmir’s cloudburst-hit Kishtwar district, and said the priority was to trace the people still missing and believed to be buried under the debris.
Accompanied by Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, the minister reached the devastated Chisoti village around midnight on Friday.
“I think a disaster of this scale was never witnessed, at least in this part of the country, and it took everybody by surprise… the priority is to trace the people who are still missing,” Singh told reporters at the village.
Stating that many people are still buried under the debris, he appreciated the rescuers and said they have swung into action despite all the constraints.
“I think this is a unique occasion where natural calamity has been coupled with natural constraints of inclement weather or difficult terrain. For example, the rescue helicopters could not reach here,” he said, adding that two of the rescue helicopters are in Udhampur waiting for the weather to improve.
“In spite of that, all equipment meant for the recovery processes was shifted here overnight, and the NDRF, SDRF, the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force and Jammu and Kashmir Police are looking for survivors.
At least 60 people were killed and over 100 injured when the disaster struck Chisoti, the last motorable village on the way to Machail Mata temple, around 12.25 pm on August 14, flattening a makeshift market, a community kitchen site for the pilgrimage and a security outpost.
At least 16 residential houses and government buildings, three temples, four water mills, a 30-metre bridge and over a dozen vehicles were also damaged in the flash floods.
The Union minister said the police chief has been camping in the area to supervise the rescue operation, and the Border Roads Organisation has swung into action, as they can be helpful in removing the debris and sludge with their special equipment.
Asked about the relief package for cloudburst victims, Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken concrete steps, convened meetings and received a detailed briefing on Friday. He has also spoken to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
“Soon after I came out of the Independence Day programme, the first thing I did was to rush over here… So, you can understand the kind of priority and urgency the Modi government is giving to this calamity,” he said.
In response to a question about the possible visit of PM Modi or Home Minister Amit Shah, he said the conditions are not very compatible for VVIP visits. “All of us are here, all the necessary assistance is being made available.”
Before 2014, there was no connectivity, electricity, mobile towers or even a toilet facility in the village. “All this was built in the past few years, leading to a sudden surge in the number of pilgrims visiting this (Machail Mata) shrine. And all of this got destroyed in just a few seconds,” the Union minister said.
Asked whether there was any plan to airlift critically injured people outside Jammu and Kashmir for specialised treatment, he said the government has already offered to provide chopper service for those who need to be shifted out of Jammu