Jitendra Singh visits J&K;'s cloudburst-hit Kathua, says rehabilitation may cost Rs 150 crore

Jammu, Aug 22 (PTI) Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Friday visited areas ravaged by cloudburst and landslide in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district and said that the initial loss has been estimated at about Rs 25 crore, while the long-term permanent rehabilitation may require over Rs 100 to 150 crore.

The Union minister called on civil society to help the administration in curbing illegal encroachments in flood-prone areas.

Singh also assured both financial and material assistance to the affected families. “The initial loss has been estimated at about Rs 25 crore, and the Centre is ready to provide any assistance required by the Union territory administration to deal with the disaster,” he told reporters in Kathua.

He further said that the estimate for long-term rehabilitation could go well beyond Rs 100–150 crore. Singh added that houses damaged in the calamity would be rebuilt, and land would be provided to those whose homes were washed away in the flash floods.

Seven members of four families, including five children, were killed and 15 were injured in two separate incidents of cloudburst and landslide in Jodh Ghati village of Rajbagh and Bagra village of Janglote on August 18.

On the occasion, he distributed relief material among the victims.

“Relief camps have been set up in Gati and other places, which are being taken care of by the administration. The Chief Minister has personally reviewed the situation, and a review meeting has also been held where a rough estimate was formulated,” he added.

Singh, who visited Ghatti, Janglote, Bhed Blode and Dhol Khad areas, met the affected families and enquired about their well-being. He assured them of all possible help in this difficult time.

Singh, while visiting these areas, directed officials to immediately provide water tankers, solar lights, and medical ambulances to inaccessible areas. He also instructed officials to take measures to prevent the outbreak of any epidemic. He also distributed ration kits from his personal resources.

Singh, who is an MP from Udhampur, announced that a regional centre of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) would be set up in Jammu, serving the region only. He also informed that a National Mission has been launched to study Himalayan ecosystem sustainability.

He also stressed the need to fix accountability for poorly built bridges, stating that contractors and engineers must answer for the quality of material used and flaws in design. PTI AB AMJ AMJ