REASI: A Central team on Sunday toured Dera Bawa and Chassana area of Reasi District, which were badly affected by floods and landslides, where 20 villagers lost their lives in first week of September.
The team comprising Vivek Tripathi, Director Monitoring in Central Water Commission, Aditya Prakash, Superintending Engineer in the same Commission, AK Rajput, Director, Central Electricity Board, Ministry of Power and Prakash Bhardwaj, Under Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj visited several areas of Reasi.
Official said that the Government of India wanted to be sure about the exact damages to private property and government infrastructure before deciding on how to compensate Jammu and Kashmir in rebuilding process. J and K Government has sought Rs 44,000 special Central package from the Centre for rebuilding damaged infrastructure, public property etc.
Deputy Commissioner Reasi Shabir Ahmead Bhatt said the Central team flew-in to village Dera Bawa and Chassana of Reasi District this morning and had on spot assessment of the damages caused there. The team inter-acted with the local people and civil officials.
Entire village Dera Bawa and Chassana were flattened after flash floods and landslides killed 20 people. The Central team was in village Seri of Dera Bawa for an hour and inquired from the people and officers about the tragedy and the ways the government could compensate the survivors.
District administration also briefed the Central team in Dera Bawa about total losses in floods in the district before it (the team) flew Chassana (Mahore).
At Chassana, the Central team raised several queries pertaining to assessment of damages, which the DC Reasi replied.
It may be mentioned that the Government of India had decided to undertake an extensive study of devastation caused by last month’s floods through its own two high level teams.
The Centre decided to carry out its own assessment of damages caused to public property and government infrastructure after a memo was submitted to the Centre by the State Government seeking an unprecedented Rs 44,000 crores worth package for relief and rehabilitation measures for flood victims and infrastructure.
Initially, the government had worked out the losses to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crores.