The death toll in the tragic landslide near Vaishno Devi shrine has increased to 34. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced solatium of ₹6 lakh for the kin of those deceased in rain-related incidents in the Union territory.
The chief minister visited affected areas in Jammu on Wednesday and assessed the relief operations. Abdullah visited the fourth Tawi bridge, which was heavily damaged in the incessant rains. The Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said relief and rescue operations are underway.
Abdullah said he spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier today, and the Centre has assured all assistance to overcome the disaster that has struck the state.
Reviewing the situation, the chief minister questioned why pilgrims were allowed to trek to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine despite weather agencies' warning of inclement weather. "When we knew about the weather, should we not have taken certain steps to save those lives? The weather warning had come to us a few days ago," Abdullah criticised, adding, "We will have to talk about it later."
Incessant rains triggered a landslide en route to the Vaishno Devi shrine on the old 12km trek from the base camp of Katra to the hilltop shrine on Tuesday. Though authorities had suspended the pilgrimage on the new Himkoti trek route on Tuesday morning, but, it continued on the old route until 1.30pm.
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"Why were these people on the track? Why were they not stopped? Why were they not moved to a safe place?" Abdullah asked.
The incessant rains caused massive damage to public infrastructure in Jammu. Several key bridges, private houses and commercial establishments suffered damage due to overflowing of water bodies and flash floods across Jammu.
Chief Minister Abdullah announced a solatium of ₹6 lakh for families of those who died in rain-related incidents. The assistance comprises of ₹4 lakh from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and ₹2 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Financial aid of ₹1 lakh for those severely injured and ₹50,000 for individuals with minor injuries has also been announced.