Evacuation plan ready, over 80 relief camps set up in Jammu, Samba dists
Dinesh Manhotra
Tribune News Service
RS Pura, February 27
With escalation of tensions on the International Border, the authorities have formulated an emergency evacuation plan in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts and set up over 80 relief camps. Government buildings, including schools situated in safer areas, have been turned into relief camps so as to provide shelter to people in case of an evacuation.
In RS Pura, the authorities have identified 30 villages which are prone to shelling from across the border. Ten relief camps have been established in RS Pura town and adjoining areas to accommodate border dwellers.
Since morning, police and revenue officials are visiting border areas to inform people about the relief camps set up in different areas. “The SDM and tehsildar have informed us that a relief camp has been established at Government Higher Secondary School, Slehar,” Kusam Lata, sarpanch of Changia village, told The Tribune. She said villagers would not leave their houses unless asked by the authorities to do so.
Similarly, in Akhnoor and Khour subdivisions of Jammu district, the authorities have set up 20 relief camps to face any emergency situation. “We have involved panchayat members in our plan to evacuate peoplein case of any emergency,” official sources told The Tribune, adding, “Minibuses and regular buses have been placed at the disposal of panchayat membersto evacuate people during an emergency”.
In Samba district, the authorities have already set up relief camps at 12 places.
