Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 14: To review the damage done and oversee the measures for relief and rehabilitation, Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand today took an extensive tour of the areas affected in Khour due to recent flash floods and rains.
He along with a team of senior officers and engineers rushed to the affected areas and inspected the relief works as well as damage done by the floods to installations of Irrigation, Flood Control, PHE and PDD.
“As the weather has started improving now focus has to be on time bound relief and rehabilitation of the people and administration should gear up its men and machinery,” he directed.
SDM, Khour Rakesh Bhagat, Tehsildar Amit, Engineers and officers from revenue, block development, flood control, PHE and other concerned departments accompanied the tour.
The Deputy Chief Minister visited Hamirpur, Samwan, Chaprial, Panjttoth, Kalah,Bardoh, Jogwan, Battal, Dhakar and other low lying areas. At these places rain has caused damage to agriculture land, houses and other civil structures.
Tara Chand conducted spot inspection of damaged irrigation schemes. It was informed that 9 schemes at Datyal, Samwan, Jogwan, Chaprial, Bardoh, Magheri, Nadbeda, Seripalai and Dhakar have been completely damaged.
He directed the revenue authorities to assess the damages on war footing so that exact report can be sent for relief and rehabilitation. Ground situation of damage has to be analyzed while assessing the loss so that pragmatic figures can be conveyed to the authorities, he added.
“Massive damage has been done to infrastructure as well as agriculture land due to floods and it is high time that a coordinated effort by all departments be put in to ensure timely relief and rehabilitation,” he added.
He said Army, Air-Force, Civil Administration, SDRF and NDRF teams are working to extend maximum possible help to those who have been affected by the recent rainfall and flash floods.
The SDM informed that hundreds of cattle’s have been washed away in river Chenab and Manower tawi, road connectivity has been hit and acres of agriculture land washed away besides extensive damage to crops.