Windstorm with 96 km velocity wreaks havoc; 1 dies, another critical
Almost entire Jammu plunges into darkness
Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, June 3: High velocity winds in Jammu City and surrounding areas caused massive damage to public property, uprooted a Mobile phone tower installed on the roof top of a building near Shaheedi Chowk, caused damage to five parked cars as a wall collapsed, while scores of electricity poles and trees were uprooted, followed by thundershower, bringing some relief from the scorching heat to the people.
An unidentified person, apparently from labour class died due to fall in Gangyal area while another person fell down from roof top of his house in Belicharana area and sustained critical injuries. Gangyal police said that dead body of the deceased worker was shifted to GMC hospital.
The windstorm started in Jammu and its surroundings at around 5 pm on Monday and it continued for about two hours. Intensity of the high velocity winds was so high and powerful that many trees and electricity polls were uprooted, branches of trees fell down on the roads and lanes, many walls collapsed and electric cables were broken at many places, causing huge loss to the power infrastructure.
A tall Cell-phone tower of a private company, installed atop a private building in Bawe Wali Gali , near Congress office, just hardly 200 mts away from Shaheedi Chowk, Jammu collapsed causing extensive damage to the two-three nearby buildings. However, the people in this area remained lucky as no loss of human life occurred.
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Director MeT department Srinagar, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed said that intensity of high speed winds was 98 kms per hour in Chatha, Satwari and adjoining areas while it was nearly 72 kms/hour in Old City areas. In Kathua, its intensity was 44 kms per hour.
In Shakti Nagar area of Jammu, five cars parked along the road suffered damage as bricks of a weak wall on the roof top of the adjoining building fell on them. The wind screens of the two cars were also damaged. However, no loss of life was reported.
Reports said that tin roofs of many houses/sheds and huts in the slums areas of Jammu City and near Railways Station were uprooted with the high velocity winds. With this, many poor families turned roofless tonight. Their house hold goods were also damaged.
In Gandhi Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Gangyal, Belicharana and Satwari area, dozens of trees were uprooted besides other localities of Jammu south and north- west. The vehicular movement was disrupted with the fall of trees and their branches. In Gandhi Nagar, near VIP Quarters Lane, a big tree fell down on the road. Two scooty riders passing that area, ran away for safety leaving behind their two wheeler. Another scooty parked under the trees was also damaged.
One middle-aged man, Bashir Ahmed fell down from the roof top of his house in Beli Charana area of Jammu during windstorm and received serious injuries and removed to Govt Medical College Hospital, a police official said.
Almost entire Jammu, plunged into darkness after the windstorm hit the City of temples. For over four hours, the power could not be restored to many areas. Due to precaution, after breakage of power lines and poles, the supply was suspended to many city localities by the PDD staff.
Managing Director, JPDCL, Vikas Kundal when contacted late tonight said that power supply has been restored to about 40 percent of the Jammu city. The PDD staff was trying its best to restore power supply to maximum areas where no much damage has been caused. He said the damage is very high and it is being assessed by the field staff.
Meanwhile, rain in some areas of Jammu region caused much relief to the people from the scorching heat late this evening. The rain also contained the forest fires in the region. The people of mostly plain areas of Jammu including Jammu, Samba and Kathua had some sigh of relief.
A MeT official said that Jammu today recorded a maximum temperature of 42.7 degree C, about 3.3 deg above normal as compared to yesterday’s temperature of 41.6 degrees C, Katra recorded a maximum temperature of 39.0 deg, Bhaderwah 34.4 deg, Banihal town 32.8 deg C while Batote town 31.9 deg C temperature on Monday.
Srinagar today recorded day temperature of 31.7 deg C, Pahalgam town 27.5 deg C, famous tourist resort Gulmarg 22.0 while Qazigund town 32.0 degrees Celsius temperature today. Mirpur in PoJK recorded a maximum, temperature 43.0 deg C, Muzzafarabad 42.0 deg while Leh town had 19.4 deg C temperature today.
The MeT office has predicted weather from June 4 to 7 as partly to generally cloudy with intermittent light to moderate rain/ thunder at many places with gusty winds at few places. From June 8 to 9, it will remain partly to generally cloudy while from June 10 to 13 the weather will remain generally dry.
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