Not a ‘national disaster’: CM Abdullah after reviewing NH situation in Ramban

Ramban : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said the devastation caused by flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain and cloudbursts in Ramban district could not be declared a “national disaster”, even as he assured adequate relief to the affected families.Abdullah was speaking to reporters at Kela Morh, a few kilometres from the Ramban district headquarters along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. The highway was shut for a second consecutive day due to multiple landslides in the area.

The chief minister was supposed to visit the flood- and landslide-hit villages in Ramban town but had to return to Srinagar due to the approach road being washed away. He promised to tour the villages on Tuesday through the Jammu side.Three persons, including two minor siblings, were killed and more than 100 people rescued after cloudburst-induced floods and landslides on Sunday caused massive damage to infrastructure, including roads and residential buildings.

Abdullah was scheduled to visit the calamity-affected areas but bad weather prevented helicopter operations. The chief minister travelled by road after he was informed that the Banihal sector of the national highway had been cleared, officials said.Braving fresh rainfall, Abdullah reached Maroog around 5:30 pm and later walked towards the worst-hit Kela Morh to personally take stock of the situation, the officials said.

“This is not a national disaster but a localised one. It is a disaster and, accordingly, relief will be provided to the victims for rebuilding their lives,” Abdullah told reporters when asked if his government would approach the Centre for declaring the calamity as a “national disaster”.He said the district administration had been directed to assess the damage and submit a detailed report.”Immediate relief will be provided to the affected population. We will make arrangements on our own for a package and I will also talk to the Centre,” he said.

“If the weather permits, I will personally take stock of the situation on the ground in other flood-hit areas of Ramban town and also chair a meeting of officers on Tuesday,” he added.The chief minister, who walked nearly two kilometres over the damaged road and was briefed by Deputy Commissioner Baseer-ul-Haq Chaudhary and officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), said the national highway’s restoration was the top priority.

“A number of vehicles are buried under landslide debris. The road has also suffered extensive damage and we have to change its alignment. We have to remove the debris and clear the buried vehicles. The effort is to make the highway trafficable as soon as possible,” Abdullah said.He said this stretch of the national highway was the most difficult and the officials were of the opinion that it would take two to three days to clear it while the remaining section would be cleared in the next 24 hours.

Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary visited the flood-affected areas on Sunday with Ramban MLA Arjun Singh Raju and Banihal MLA Sajad Shaheen on the directions of the chief minister, who was in Delhi at the time.Abdullah reached Srinagar early on Monday and announced that he would visit Ramban later in the day.Earlier, NHAI project director Purshottam Kumar said they were faced with a challenging situation due to massive deposits of muck on the national highway at more than a dozen places, especially on the four-kilometre stretch between Seri and Maroog.

“The height of the sludge at some places is more than 20 feet,” he said and added the highway was likely to take five to six days to reopen. National Conference supremo Farooq Abdullah on Monday called for relocation and rehabilitation of the families affected by the flash floods triggered by heavy rain and cloudbursts that caused widespread devastation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district.Calling it a “national disaster”, he urged the Centre to step in and provide immediate assistance to the affected people.

The landslide-hit Jammu-Srinagar National Highway remained closed for a second consecutive day, with a senior National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) official saying the road clearance operation, underway at 20 locations, was likely to take about six days.Hundreds of vehicles were left stranded on the strategic 250-kilometre highway after Sunday’s heavy rainfall and cloudbursts triggered flash floods, landslides and mudslides in the district.

Three persons, including two minor siblings, were killed and more than 100 people were rescued as the natural calamity caused massive damage to infrastructure, including roads and residential buildings. A number of vehicles were also buried under the debris.”This is a very big disaster — it is actually a national disaster. Entire villages have been affected. Three people have died and we are still uncertain about the full extent of the damage. I hope the government of India and the prime minister will provide maximum assistance and support to these people,” Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of a function.

The former chief minister of the erstwhile state said another cloudburst had occurred at a separate location, claiming two more lives.”These are major natural disasters. We need to act urgently and put measures in place to prevent their recurrence,” he said.Calling for better water management systems, Abdullah laid stress on the need for repairing ‘nullahs (canals)’ to ensure proper flow and reduce the risk of future disasters.”We need to fix the canals so that their water flows directly and doesn’t scatter. The entire mountain has collapsed. People can no longer live there, they must be relocated and resettled in safer areas,” Abdullah said.

He also emphasised “everyone needs to step in — whether it is the central or the state government” and added, “This is the time to act and save lives.”Abdullah highlighted the fragile condition of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway — the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country.”It has been badly affected. If the train had been operational, people could have used it and been safe. Unfortunately, the weather was so bad that even the prime minister could not come (for its inauguration),” he said.

Underscoring the urgent need for alternative connectivity, Abdullah said, “The burden on Mughal Road has increased and people are being stopped at Sundarbani (Rajouri) and released in phases. We have only one road — it has become a path of destruction.”The Mughal Road connects the twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch in the Jammu region with south Kashmir’s Shopian district.Pitching for more tunnels to avoid disasters, he said a tunnel from Doda must be expedited.”A tunnel on the Mughal Road is also essential. We need multiple alternative routes to connect the region,” Abdullah said.