Imran Shah
Kishtwar,(DD): Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said immediate relief has been disbursed among the families affected by the devastating cloudburst in Kishtwar, while adequate teams have been deployed to carry out rescue operations and trace the missing persons.
Speaking to reporters after meeting the victims’ families, Omar said he fully understands their pain and anguish. “The affected families want their loved ones to be traced, either alive or dead. Immediate relief has been provided, and the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund will also be utilised for their assistance,” he said.
The Chief Minister informed that multiple agencies—including the NDRF, SDRF, Army, J&K Police and others—are on the ground to carry out rescue and search operations. “So far, the death count is around 60, while 70–80 people are still missing. Reports suggesting that 500 or 1000 people are missing are not correct,” he clarified.
Omar said there have been demands to shift the affected families from their existing locations, but the government would act cautiously. “We will consult experts before any relocation. We cannot shift them to places which might be more prone to such occurrences,” he added.
Acknowledging the geographical vulnerability of the region, Omar said cloudbursts are common in hilly states like Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. He assured that a team of experts will be engaged to suggest elaborate preventive measures to minimise the risk of such tragedies in the future(DD)
