Jitendra visits victims at disaster-hit village, says rescue ops still on

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday reached out to people admitted in the Government Medical College here with injuries from the cloudburst and flash floods that struck a remote village in Kishtwar district two days ago.

He said the search and rescue operations were continuing round the clock and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was personally monitoring the situation. “Prime Minister Modi is personally monitoring the rescue and relief operations. On the very first day, he held a review meeting. On Friday, he spoke to the Lieutenant Governor and the Chief Minister and received a briefing. He continues to assess the situation from time to time,” Singh told reporters at the hospital.

Singh, who had visited the disaster-hit Chisoti village on Friday night and returned on Saturday afternoon, was briefed about the treatment given to the injured.

“Along with the Army, BSF, CRPF and other Central forces, the Government of India and the state administration are fully involved in rescue operations. The DGP (director general of police) himself is camping there as part of the support structure. The Border Roads Organisation is involved as there is a lot of debris to be cleared,” he added.

Terming it a “big catastrophe”, Singh said, “When compared to similar calamities in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, this is the biggest catastrophe so far. This is a testing time for all of us.” He explained that the Air Force support structure could not operate in Chisoti due to weather constraints. “We dispatched vehicles carrying equipment overnight so that the rescue operation does not fall short of them. But two Indian Air Force helicopters are still stationed in Udhampur, ready for deployment.”

Praising hospital administration’s efforts in giving proper care for the patients, he said, “These patients did not have severe physical injuries but suffered psychological trauma. Sixty-six patients were hospitalised. Currently, 52 injured are still under treatment, while the rest have been discharged.” The minister said that most of the patients have only soft tissue injuries as they were trapped in mud rather than under big rocks.

On suspension of the Machail Mata yatra, he said it was not stalled beforehand because there was only forecast for rain, not for cloudburst. “The meteorological department had forecast rainfall, but giving prior warning about a cloudburst is very difficult. This was a natural calamity for which no one was prepared,” he said.