The situation in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district remained grim on Sunday with the relocation of more than 500 people to safer places after over 58 houses were completely damaged due to land sinking.
Residents of Pernote village of Ramban landed in trouble after the land subsidence over the past three days. An official said the assessment of damages has started on war-footing to facilitate speedy release of compensation to affected families under the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) norms.
The rescue and shifting operations were carried out by the Ramban district administration under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner Baseer-Ul-Haq Chaudhary, who is also Chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA).
The ADC Varunjeet Charak said that three power towers have been destroyed, and the agricultural activities have also been disturbed.
"The administration reached here at night only and we rescued the people. We had made temporary tents for the families to stay but due to heavy rains, the tents have been damaged and we will shift them to other places," Charak added.
A total of 100 households were affected as 58 houses got completely damaged due to the land subsidence, the official said, adding that so far 500 people have been evacuated and provided shelter at safer places.
The district administration carried out the evacuation amid the inclement weather. Most of the affected families have been relocated to community hall Maitra, with relief and support services operating from Pernote Panchayat, he said.
The deputy commissioner, who is overseeing the restoration efforts in the village, ensured the deployment of teams from Jammu Power Development Corporation Limited and Sub-Trans sub Division to resume the disrupted power supply.
Additionally, a 24x7 control room, supervised by Ramban Block Development Officer Yasir Wani, has been established to aid the affected individuals, alongside the mobilisation of national and state disaster response forces, police, civil volunteers, and other organisations for rescue operations, the official said.
Furthermore, a health camp, staffed with dedicated medical personnel, has been set up to address the healthcare needs of the displaced, he added.
With sanitation and hygiene being paramount, the district administration is rigorously maintaining cleanliness standards at the health camps and relocation sites. Moreover, a community kitchen has been started to provide timely and hygienic meals to those affected.
The revenue, horticulture, sheep husbandry, animal husbandry, agriculture, rural development, roads and buildings and other departments concerned have been tasked to assess the damages to facilitate speedy release of compensation to the victims under SDRF norms, the official said.
Meanwhile, the National Conference (NC) on Saturday urged the Centre to send a team of its top experts to assess the recent land sinking in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district and take measures to prevent recurrence of such disasters.
(With PTI inputs)
