Jammu: Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday met some victims undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu, who were victims of the cloudburst incident in a remote village in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir. On this occasion, Rajnath said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very concerned about the cloudburst incident.
Expressing satisfaction over the treatment of the injured, Rajnath Singh said that his plan to visit the cloudburst affected area could not succeed due to bad weather and fresh landslides on the road on the way.
The Defense Minister was accompanied by Union Minister and Udhampur MP Jitendra Singh and Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
After reaching Jammu from Delhi, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh went straight to the hospital and met 16 people undergoing treatment there. A team of doctors informed him about the condition of the patients.
On August 14, 65 people were killed and more than 100 injured in a cloudburst in Chishoti, the last village on the way to Machail Mata temple. 32 people are still missing.
Speaking to reporters before leaving the hospital, Rajnath Singh said, “The Prime Minister is very concerned and is monitoring the situation. I had planned to visit the spot, but could not do so due to bad weather and landslides in Patharnaki… Now we are going to the Raj Bhavan where we will talk to the affected people through video conferencing.”
Praising the doctors for taking good care of the people admitted to the hospital after the incident, the Defense Minister said that the health of the injured is satisfactory.
Heavy rain in Jammu and Kashmir
On the other hand, many parts of Jammu and Kashmir received heavy rains on Saturday night. Due to which flood-like conditions were created in the low-lying areas. Due to heavy rains, many infrastructure including an important bridge on the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway was damaged. A part of the bridge collapsed near Logat Mor in Kathua district due to overflowing of drain due to heavy rains. Officials said that the traffic of the highway is being diverted through an alternate route.
Parts of Kishtwar district also received rain on Sunday morning. Rainfall occurred in Paddar subdivision near the main base camp of pilgrims visiting Machail Mata temple. The rain has raised concerns in the already affected areas after the recent cloudburst incident in Chishoti village. Relief work is still going on in these areas. Officials have asked the local people to stay away from water bodies and landslide prone areas. The Meteorological Department has predicted moderate to intense rain till August 27. Also, the possibility of cloudburst, flash floods and landslides in high altitude areas remains constant.
