Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday said the immediate priority was to trace those still missing and feared trapped under the debris after the cloudburst in Chisoti village of Kishtwar.
He reached the cloudburst-hit Chisoti village around midnight on Friday to take stock of the rescue and relief operations.
Jitnedra Singh was accompanied by Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat during his late-night visit to the devastated area.
“This is perhaps the first time we are witnessing a calamity of such magnitude in this region. The priority right now is to trace the missing people, many of whom are believed to be buried under rubble,” Dr Jitnedra Singh told reporters at the site, as per news agency KINS.
Despite harsh weather and difficult terrain, Singh praised the coordinated efforts of the NDRF, SDRF, Army, Air Force, BRO and J&K Police, who have been carrying out round-the-clock rescue work. He noted that helicopters stationed at Udhampur could not reach the village due to poor weather but said all other equipment had been moved in overnight.
The massive cloudburst struck around 12:25 pm on August 14, flattening a makeshift market, a community kitchen for Machail Mata pilgrims, and a security outpost.
At least 60 people lost their lives, more than 100 were injured, and large-scale destruction was reported, including 16 houses, three temples, a 30-metre bridge, four water mills, several government buildings and over a dozen vehicles.
Dr Jitnedra Singh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is personally monitoring the situation, having convened meetings and spoken to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
“Right after the Independence Day programme, I rushed here. That itself shows the urgency with which the Modi government is treating this calamity,” Singh said. He added that while conditions were not conducive for VVIP visits, all necessary assistance was being mobilised.
The Union Minister also highlighted the transformation of Chisoti in recent years, with connectivity, electricity and mobile towers introduced post-2014, leading to a sharp rise in pilgrim inflow to Machail Mata shrine. “Tragically, all this was destroyed within seconds,” he remarked.
On the possibility of airlifting critical patients, Singh said the government has kept chopper services ready for shifting the injured to advanced medical facilities outside Jammu if required.(KINS)
