In a worrying development, three families comprising 10 members faced evacuation on Monday due to land subsidence and significant cracks discovered in residential houses in Kulthi Chakka Kundi village, Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The subsidence occurred along the banks of the Chenab River during a period of intense rainfall, prompting panic among villagers who are concerned about their safety. Local officials swiftly responded to the situation, implementing precautionary measures.
Administrative and rescue teams quickly mobilized to the affected area. They relocated the vulnerable families to safer locations, ensuring their immediate safety amidst the unfolding crisis.
Tehsildar Rajgarh Major Singh confirmed that one non-residential structure owned by Bhagat Ram was washed away in the subsidence, while cracks were reported in the homes of Chaat Ram, Chaman Lal, and Bhushan Lal. This deterioration occurred over just a couple of days.
Singh visited the site with a State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team to evaluate the damage. He noted that the evacuated families received tents for temporary accommodation until the situation stabilizes.
To keep the situation under control, the Naib Tehsildar and other officials remain stationed in the village, monitoring developments closely.
Residents have expressed deep concern, reporting additional cracks in several other houses, including those belonging to Dev Raj, Hari Ram, Santosh Singh, Fallal Singh, and Shashram.
BJP Ramban district president Neelam Kumar Lange inspected the damage firsthand. He urged for compensation and rehabilitation for the displaced families, highlighting the government’s responsibility toward its citizens in times of distress.
Lange raised a pressing issue, noting the absence of any minister or MLA from the National Conference-led government at the site, claiming that local representatives had not attended to assess the crisis. This absence left residents feeling unsupported during the calamity.
Speculation has arisen among locals that recent water releases from the Baglihar Hydroelectric Power Project, coinciding with heavy rainfall, might have exacerbated the ground instability leading to the land subsidence. However, officials have yet to determine the precise cause of the subsidence.
In a related incident, SDRF teams successfully rescued an individual who, along with a sand-extraction boat, was swept away by the current in the Chenab River near Pul Doda earlier on Monday. The rescued person, a worker employed as an operator of a sand-extraction machine, was involved with a private company contracted for sand harvesting in the region.
Rescue operations are ongoing as officials work diligently to retrieve the machinery from the river, emphasizing the intense efforts to mitigate further risks posed by recent weather conditions.
