Govt committed to aid Kishtwar cloudburst victims: Rajnath

Jammu Tawi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the Centre is making all efforts to provide relief and rehabilitation to those affected by a recent cloudburst in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district.

Reviewing the situation in the affected Chisoti village via video-conferencing from the Raj Bhawan here, Singh said it is heartening to note that the Union Territory administration, Army, NDRF, SDRF and police have done excellent work during the crisis situation.

Flash floods triggered by the cloudburst struck Chisoti, the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata temple, on August 14, killing 65 people, mostly pilgrims, and leaving more than 100 injured.

A large-scale search operation is underway for 32 people reported missing by their families after the tragedy. A makeshift market, a langar (community kitchen) site for the annual pilgrimage to the Machail Mata temple, 16 houses and government buildings, three temples, four water mills, a 30-metre-long bridge and more than a dozen vehicles were also damaged in the incident.

“Due to inclement weather, I could not go to the cloudburst affected areas of Kishtwar today. Reviewed the situation at Chisoti from Jammu, via video conferencing facility,” Singh said in a post on X.

The review meeting was attended by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, senior Army and police officers, among others.

“It is heartening to note that the state administration, Army, NDRF, SDRF, J&K Police have done excellent work during the crisis situation. Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the Central Government is leaving no stone unturned in providing relief and rehabilitation to those who have been affected by this tragic incident,” the defence minister said in his post.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very concerned about the recent cloudburst in a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday after meeting some of the victims undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital here.

Expressing satisfaction over the treatment of the injured, Rajnath Singh said his plan to visit the cloudburst-hit area could not materialise due to inclement weather and a fresh landslide on the road en route.

After landing here from Delhi, the defence minister went straight to the hospital to meet the 16 people undergoing treatment there. He was briefed by a team of doctors on the condition of the patients.

The cloudburst struck Chisoti, the last motorable village en route the Machail Mata temple, on August 14, killing 65 people and injuring over 100. Thirty-two people missing since are yet to be found.

Briefly talking to reporters before leaving the hospital for Raj Bhavan, Rajnath Singh said, “The prime minister is very concerned and is monitoring the situation. I had planned to visit the spot but couldn’t due to inclement weather and a landslide (at Pathernaki)… We are now going to the Raj Bhavan where we will talk to the (affected) people through videoconferencing.”

Lauding the doctors for taking good care of those admitted to the hospital after the incident, the defence minister said the injured people are recuperating satisfactorily.