JAMMU: The Lieutenant Governor’s administration on Monday deputed eight senior IAS and IPS officers to supervise relief and rescue operations in Chisoti village of Kishtwar district, where a devastating cloudburst has left 62 people dead.
The tragedy struck on August 14, when flash floods triggered by a cloudburst swept through Chisoti the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata temple killing dozens and injuring at least 116 people. As many as 82 persons, including 81 pilgrims and one CISF personnel, are still reported missing.
“In order to supervise relief and rescue operations in response to the recent tragic cloudburst, the officers, as per the roster, are hereby deputed to Chisoti in district Kishtwar,” read an order issued by Commissioner-Secretary to the Government, M Raju.
According to the schedule, Principal Secretary Home, Chandraker Bharti, and Inspector General of Police (Operations & Services) Uttam Chand will oversee operations on August 19 and 20, followed by Principal Secretary Anil Kumar Singh and IGP Sujit Kumar on August 21 and 22. Financial Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary Shaleen Kabra with IGP Suleman Chaudhary will be deployed on August 23 and 24, while Secretary Shahid Iqbal Choudhary and IGP Vivek Gupta will supervise on August 25 and 26.
Rescue efforts, now in their fifth day, continued on Monday despite persistent rainfall. Teams clad in raincoats worked at multiple locations, particularly near a langar (community kitchen) site that bore the brunt of the deluge. Earthmovers cleared rubble as sniffer dogs searched for signs of survivors.
Meanwhile, the annual Machail Mata Yatra, which commenced on July 25 and was scheduled to conclude on September 5, remains suspended for the fifth straight day. The yatra begins from Chisoti with an 8.5-km trek to the 9,500-foot-high shrine, located about 90 km from Kishtwar town.
