Landslide cleared from highway, civilians rescued: Police
Ganderbal, Aug 02: A day after heavy downpour followed by several cloudburst which created flood-like situation in several villages of Kangan in Ganderbal district, threw normal life out of gear as water submerged many houses in the area.
According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) almost four cloud bursts occurred Sunday late night at Ganiwan and its adjoining villages triggering mud slides and causing damage to inner roads, agricultural fields with standing crops and some residential houses.
However, no loss of human life and livestock has been reported from the areas.
The villages which are located at upper reaches of district Include Ganiwan, Bagh Pati Surfraw, Sumbal Bala Gund, Dard Wuddar and Yachhama are affected by the cloud burst while as mud slides triggered blocked Srinagar-Leh Highway near Sarfraw which has been restored after the hectic efforts made by Ganderbal police, SDRF, BRO and other departments of district administration.
The flash flood water has also entered into many residential houses damaging the households and inundated roads and agricultural fields in the area.
However, there have been no reports of loss of life or injury in the incident as a police team from Ganderbal along with SDRF personnel and locals quickly started a rescue operation to evacuate people stuck in low lying areas due to the flash floods.
According to Block Development Officer Kangan and Gund efforts are on to restore the damaged link roads connecting Ganiwan and Sumbal while the department is assessing the losses caused by cloud bursts.
The affected people have appealed to the Governor led administration to assess the damage caused in residential houses and agricultural fields and accordingly compensate them at an earliest.
Sub-Divisional Kangan Hakim Tanvir told KNO that crops on farm land and several houses have been damaged where horticulture, agriculture and many other departments are on job.
“We are assessing the losses and affected people will be compensated,” he told KNO
Meanwhile Jammu and Kashmir police in a statement said, “Ganderbal Police acted swiftly to restore the movement of traffic on national highway at Surfraw after overnight landslides had blocked the road. Due to incessant rains in the last few days, a huge mass of land slid on to the main road at Surfraw blocking the movement of vehicles and local population”.
“At about 09:00 pm last night when the concerned SHO Police Station Gund received the information about the incident, he along with a police party and other senior officers arrived at the spot and initiated the activities for clearance of highway. Police as a first responder began the rescue operation despite heavy downpour in the area. Other senior officers including SDPO Kangan were supervising the rescue efforts at the spot. SDRF, QRT from DPL were also pressed into service and engaged in rescue operations,” it said.
The spokesperson said this morning after hectic efforts of police in coordination with SDRF, DPL Ganderbal and other civil departments including revenue, Irrigation and Flood Control, Beacon and Rural Development department were able to fully clear the debri from the road and it was made through for the vehicular movement.
“Moreover while launching the rescue operation was going on last night, flash floods also hit villages adjoining Surfraw. Joint rescue teams were also deployed in the night to relocate civilians safely from Bagh-e-Patti area of Surfraw. All civilians were rescued safely by the joint teams of Ganderbal Police and SDRF,” the statement reads—(KNO)
