J-K Congress demands judicial probe into Vaishno Devi landslide, Chisoti cloudburst incidents

Jammu, Aug 30 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir unit of Congress on Saturday demanded a judicial probe into the recent landslide and cloudburst incidents that left 99 persons dead, over 120 injured and 32 missing in Reasi and Kishtwar districts.

The party also sought a central package, including six months free ration to flood-affected people and restoration of water, power supply and road connectivity on a war footing.

The demands were raised by Pradesh Congress Committee working president Raman Bhalla, former ministers Choudhary Lal Singh and Yogesh Sawhney, and former MLCs Ravinder Sharma and Ved Mahajan at a joint press conference here.

Congress leaders said Lt Governor Manoj Sinha’s announcement of a probe by a three-member high-level committee into the landslide on the track leading to Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine was an "eyewash".

Thirty-four pilgrims died in the Vaishno Devi landslide and 20 others were injured.

Both the incidents – the Vaishno Devi landslide and Chisoti cloudburst in Kishtwar on August 14 that left 65 persons dead, over 100 others injured and 32 missing – should be probed by a sitting or a retired high court judge to fix the responsibility, the Congress leaders said.

They said the LG had also ordered a probe into the stampede at the Vaishno Devi shrine on January 1, 2022, which claimed the lives of 12 pilgrims but nobody knows what happened to that inquiry.

“The inquiry report (in the 2022 incident) has never seen the light of day and no action of any sort or its recommendations is known to anyone till now, despite a public interest petition in the high court,” Bhalla said.

He claimed that such committees are formed to divert the attention of the public from the tragedy. "Both incidents were the result of the failure of authorities to take preventive measures despite advance weather alerts.

"This (Vaishno Devi landslide casualties) was the result of criminal negligence, especially after the Chisoti tragedy, as no lessons were learnt,” Bhalla said.

Expressing concern over the water and power crisis in most parts of Jammu province after floods this week, the Congress leader demanded immediate measures to restore water and power supply and road connectivity in the affected areas.

The party also demanded six months of free rations and other relief to the affected population.

The Congress leaders asked the Centre to declare the recent floods in the Jammu region as a national disaster and announce a "mega relief package" for rebuilding the damaged infrastructure and ex-gratia relief to the families of the victims.

They also demanded the setting up of a high-level committee of experts to examine the broader issues of ecological imbalance in the Trikuta hills, housing the revered shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi and suggest measures accordingly. PTI TAS TAS SKY SKY