Rajnath Singh meets Kishtwar cloudburst victims at Jammu GMC

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday visited the Government Medical College (GMC) here to meet those injured in the recent cloudburst at Chishoti village in Kishtwar.

Soon after he arrived from New Delhi, Rajnath drove straight to the GMC to inquire about the health of the injured people. He met each of the injured and inquired about their health.

Advertisement

He was accompanied by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh.

“Visited Jammu Medical College in Jammu and met those who were injured due to cloudburst and flash floods at Chishoti in Kishtwar. Praying for the speedy recovery of all the injured,” he wrote on X.

Rajnath, who was scheduled to visit the cloudburst-hit village and review the relief and rescue operations there, was unable to fly there due to bad weather.

“Due to inclement weather, I could not go to the cloudburst-affected areas of Kishtwar today. Reviewed the situation at Chishoti from Jammu via video conferencing facility. It is heartening to note that the state administration, Army, NDRF, SDRF, and J&K Police have done excellent work during the crisis,” Rajnath said.

The Defence Minister further said, “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the central government is leaving no stone unturned in providing relief and rehabilitation to those who have been affected by this tragic incident.”

Before returning to New Delhi, he held a meeting with officers of the Army, paramilitary forces, and state government officials at the Raj Bhavan to take stock of the situation at Chishoti village in Kishtwar.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Sunil Sharma, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the J&K Assembly, briefed the Defence Minister via video-conferencing from Kishtwar about the ongoing relief and rehabilitation efforts in Chashoti village.

He suggested several key initiatives, including road widening, crash barrier installation, and takeover of the road by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) due to the road’s strategic and cultural significance; construction of a motorable Bailey Bridge at Chashoti to restore connectivity; establishment of an Army Goodwill School at Padder to provide quality education to the children and a petrol pump at Padder to address refuelling challenges.

He also sought financial support from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) and a comprehensive rehabilitation package to cover losses in agriculture, horticulture, livestock, and local businesses.

Sharma said the Defence Minister accepted his demands and approved the construction of a Bailey Bridge, directed improvements in mobile connectivity, sanctioned the Army Goodwill School, and ordered the establishment of a petrol pump at Padder, addressing long-standing demands of the local community.

It may be recalled that a cloudburst followed by a flash flood on 14 August in the Kishtwar village claimed 67 lives, and at least 33 people were missing. Personnel from the NDRF, SDRF, and various other agencies were searching for the missing people under the debris.