Budgam tragedy:15 bodies retrieved so far at Laden: Bukhari Hanjura supervising operations on ground
Budgam, March 31, CNS: The Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Relief and Rehabilitations, Syed Basharat Bukhari presented a detailed status report on the incident of land erosion in village Laden of Tehsil Chadoora.
Police Tuesday said that it retrieved all the sixteen bodies from the debris in Ladden Chadoora area of Central Kashmir’s Budgam District.
At least 16 people including some minors died after coming under a mudslide on Monday morning. Police were able to recover only 8 dead bodies on the same day while on Tuesday it retrieved 8 more dead bodies from the debris.
“The dead included nime males, seven females, five horses and ten cows,” he said.
Informing the House, Bukhari said that due to incessant rains since the last many days various areas of district Budgam witnessed isolated incidents of land erosion and landslides and in the wake of these landslides District Administration took immediate steps to evacuate people from vulnerable areas to safer places so as to avoid any loss of life. He said 221` families were evacuated from various areas and lodged in the tents provided by the District Administration and also in the Government buildings situated in safer places in the respective areas. All the necessary steps to provide free ration / water and basic amenities were taken so as to ensure that the evacuated people do not face any sort of inconvenience. However, 64 families preferred to stay with their relatives and did not avail the facility of staying in tents or government buildings.
He further informed the House that in village Laden 16 families had already been evacuated due the threat of landslides / land erosion out of which 13 families are putting up in tents and 3 families are staying with their relatives. On 28th of March Deputy Commissioner Budgam and SDM Chadoora were personally monitoring the process of evacuation of the people whose houses were vulnerable and also assessing the vulnerability of the area for any further damage or need for evacuation.
He said the spot where the ill fated incident took place leading to death of 16 persons was also visited by the Deputy Commissioner, Budgam, along with the locals of the area. He said the locals had informed the Deputy Commissioner that the said spot was not vulnerable to any land erosion / landside. The inmates of the houses located on the spot continued to stay in their respective houses as there was no apprehension of any land erosion / landslide.
He said reportedly five family members of Mohammad Shaban Hajam in late hours of 29.3.2015 shifted into the house of Ghulam Nabi Hajam taking it as a safe place but unfortunately during the intervening night of 29th and 30th March 2015, the said house collapsed and as a result of the collapse 16 persons died. The deceased belonged to the families of Mr. Ghulam Nabi Hajam and Mr. Mohammad Shaban who also died in the incident. The other family members include Zaina w/o Ghulam Nabi Hajam, sons Riyaz Ahmad, Bilal Ahmad, Mohammad Iqbal and daughters Shahida, Naseema, Bitta, Fareeda and Shageena. The body of Faisal S/o Ghulam Nabi Hajam is yet to be recovered. The other family members of deceased Mohammad Shaban include wife Ruksana, sister Naseema, Daughter Sameena and 2 month old girl child.
The process of retrieval of the dead bodies from the debris was initiated in the morning hours of 30.03.2015 and Deputy Commissioner Budgam has been monitoring the rescue operation personally along with civil administration, police and security forces.
The Minister further informed the House, that Minister for Agriculture, Mr. Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura, Deputy Commissioner Budgam and SSP Budgam are on the spot and are coordinating the rescue operation. Till now 15 dead bodies have been recovered and 01 body is yet to be retrieved and efforts are on to retrieve the dead body out of the debris. (CNS)
