Defence Minister, L-G Sinha to visit cloudburst-hit Chositi village today

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will visit the cloudburst-affected Chositi village in Kishtwar district on Sunday to review ongoing search operations and meet with the affected residents.

The cloudburst, which struck the remote village—located on the route to the Machail Mata temple—on August 14, has claimed 65 lives, including three CISF personnel and one Special Police Officer (SPO) of the J&K Police. Over 100 people sustained injuries, while 32 remain missing.

Jammu-based Defence spokesperson Lt Col Suneel Bartwal confirmed that the Defence Minister will travel to Kishtwar to visit the affected area and review the rescue efforts led by multiple agencies over the past nine days. “They will assess the ongoing operations and interact with the affected families,” he said.

Several senior leaders have already visited Chositi to assess the damage and monitor the relief efforts. On August 16, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reached the village and announced ex gratia relief for the families of the deceased from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, in addition to financial assistance under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).

Union Minister Jitendra Singh also reviewed the rescue operations on the same day, emphasising the urgent need to trace the 32 missing individuals, many of whom are believed to be buried under debris.

Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Sharma, who has been overseeing the rescue and relief operations for the ninth consecutive day, said all efforts are being made to locate the missing persons.