DALWAS FIRE INCIDENT

Victims still cry for justice---------------------------------Mass Grave in dreadful condition 
Tahir Mushtaq

RAMBAN, Jan 30: After the completion of one month the DNA test report of deceased persons of Dalwas fire incident is still awaited which put the family members impatience.

According to the eyewitness the grave of the nine persons of the said fire incident which is buried at Kowh Bagh area of district Ramban under the custody of district administration sinks from the middle portion due to the recent rainfall and the ceiling of the buried dead bodies was easily visible by the passerby.

Owing the bad condition of the grave besides producing foul smell the administration has neglected the buried bodies of nine deceased persons. The eyewitness immediately circulated the pictures on social networking sites and in no times it gets viral on different sites after which a team from the concern private company in which the deceased were employed reached on spot and cover the said area with polythene (Tripal) to avoid further water leakage inside the grave.

 

When contacted District Development Commissioner (DDC) Ramban, Bashir Ahmed Dar said that the DNA reports is still take some more time to come up, as the administration is in constant touch with the forensic laboratory for the said DNA report.

He further said that the department has initiated the magisterial enquiry headed by the Additional Deputy Commissioner Ramban to trace out the main reason behind the fire incident and after the completion of the said enquiry whosoever is proved culprit will face the legal action.

 

“The administration will cover the grave with mud and polythene and keep a watch on it for further sinking till the DNA report will come” he said.

It is pertinent to mention here that the fire incident took place on the intervention night of December 31, 2015 in which ten persons burned alive whereas four other got injured.

The deceased were mostly labourers, drivers or security guards working at the Chenani-Nashri Tunnel and the employees of Savronik Sistem India and Beig Construction Company (BCC) entrusted with the excavation work.

Ramban district geared up to celebrate Republic Day

Tahir Mushtaq

RAMBAN, Jan 24: Security has been beefed up ahead of 67th Republic Day in district Ramban and venue at District Police Line for the celebration.

With almost one day left for the Republic Day celebrations, security grid has been increased in the district with additional deployment of troops and raised checkpoints at all the sensitive locations.

 

While talking to Rising Kashmir Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ramban Randeep Kumar said that the police department does not want to leave any loophole in context with the security, so the personnel have been directed to maintain vigil and tighten security within the district from Jawahar Tunnel to Patnitop at six different locations and especially around the venue of Republic Day celebrations.

“In district, police nakas were also setup on link roads and round up of forces were also made in the upper reaches and peripheral areas of the district Ramban” he said.

SSP appealed the people to inform the police department immediately if anybody noticed any suspicious activity to avoid any type of mishap.

“A large number of people are expected to attend the Republic Day function at District Police Line, Ramban. To facilitate their entry in the ground and to ensure their safety, security personnel seek their cooperation and will not allow them to carry any objectionable items like cameras, ammunition, sharp-edged weapons, polythene bags, transistors, handy fire extinguishers, stop watches, any kind of powder, inflammable material like cigarettes, matchboxes, lighters,” he said.

He also asked the people to extend full cooperation to the frisking teams deployed at gate, maintain queues while entering the gate through a door frame metal detector installed at the gate and not to indulge into un-necessary conversation with security personnel.

DH Ramban turns victim of Govt’s apathy

Tahir Mushtaq

Ramban, Jan 10: While the Government claims that it has streamlined the functioning of the hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir, yet the condition of the District Hospital (DH), Ramban is an example of apathetic attitude of the Government.

Due to lack of staff and modern equipments, the hospital remains non-functional, with end sufferer the patients.

According to official sources there are several posts of medical staff which are lying vacant due to which patients have to suffer. Beside this MBBS doctors are treating those patients which need specialist doctor, resulting into improper treatment.

Sources said the staff appointed there are less than the sanctioned posts. Besides this hilly district having maximum population in rural and hilly area lacks the required infrastructural facilities. This district Ramban has the population of about 3 lacs.

They said that there are two sanctioned post for B-Grade Anesthetic doctor, in which one doctor is attached in Karta hospital whereas other is on leave from long time, due to the unavailability of trained anesthetic the surgery in different departments includes Surgery, Gynaecology and Orthopedic is not possible and they referred the patients to other hospitals.

“However in the case of Radiology Department, there is no B-Grade Doctor specialist doctor while in surgery department the posts are lying vacant, due to which the assistant surgeon has to do the work of these doctors, putting the life of hundred patients on stake sources said adding that in Gynaecology department the only one doctor appointed who is also on leave for past long time whereas the health department has attached a doctor from Sub District Hospital Sundarbani in this department”.

“Adding to the woes of the patients some injections which are required in emergency and should available in the hospital include Tetanus, Dexamethasone and Voveran are unavailable in the hospital and patients are asked to purchase it from market” sources maintained. 

They further said that the Pediatric Department is also without specialist putting hundreds of child under constant threat daily. In Dental Section the machine lying non-functional for months, this also causes hardship among the people. Besides this there is no one appointed for blood bank due to which is it not working from the past seven years.

One could understand the plight of health institutions in the district, when even

adequate medical staff is not available in already deficient hospitals. Locals alleged that the doctor referred them at last time to Jammu or Srinagar as there is no proper infrastructure for operation and other things.

When contacted Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Ramban Mohammad Anwar Bhat said that the department has sent proposal to the higher authorities for the appointment of doctors in different departments in the hospital and it will be filled shortly adding that the blood bank will also get functional soon.

10 labourers charred to death in Ramban fire

Govt orders magisterial inquiry, DNA samples collected for identification

Tahir Mushtaq

RAMBAN, Jan 01: At least 10 persons were killed and four others injured when a temporary shed in which they were staying caught fire at Dhalwas near Nashri in Ramban district.

IGP Jammu Danish Rana said barracks of labourers, who are working on a tunnel project in Talwas in Chanderkote belt of Ramban, caught fire in the midnight.  The kitchen mess of the workers is adjacent to the burnt shed. He said 10 people died in the blaze and four others were injured.

Police men from Chanderkot, Batote and Ramban, State Disaster Rescue Force (SDRF) personnel, 23 bn Rashtriya Rifles and 84 bn CRPF personnel, volunteers of Ramban District Red Cross Society and of QRT and locals jointly launched the rescue and relief operation.

The deceased were mostly labourers, drivers or security guards working at the Chenani-Nashri Tunnel and the employees of Savronik Sistem India and Beg Construction Company (BCC) entrusted with the excavation work.

Sources said nine persons died on spot while one of the injured identified as Rakesh Kumar son of Sita Ram of Khanpur, Himachal Pradesh died due to asphyxia in Sher-e-Kashmir Emergency hospital, Batote.

They said the charred bodies were extricated from inside the prefabricated shed.

Several fire tenders were rushed to the spot to extinguish the fire. It took over an hour for the firefighters to douse the fire.

Since the bodies were burnt beyond recognition, authorities took DNA samples from them. Later, the administration buried nine bodies in Ramban.

Officials said they will exhume the bodies after receiving DNA report and hand over bodies to the deceased family.

A security guard, Rajinder Kumar, who escaped the fire, said six 12 bore guns including 5 single barrel and one double barrel along with their sixty cartridges were gutted in the blaze.

The forensic experts visited the spot to ascertain cause of the fire.

The inmates of the damaged shed reportedly missing and suspected to have been among the dead include Irfan Latif son of Abdul Latif of Thathri, Doda; Des Raj son of Amarnath of Thathri, Doda; Ishtiaq Ahmed son of Amiruddin Bhat of Banihal; Sheikh Irfan son of Najib –ur-Rehman; Rohit Singh son of Subhash Singh of Mukerian Punjab; Showkat Ali, JCB Operator of Chandigarh; Mohamad Rafi of Thathri, Doda; Nasirudin Shah son of Rehmatullah of Banihal and Devinder Kumar of Jaganu, Udhampur.

The injured Omkara Singh son of Faqir Chand of Chill, Ramban; Mohammad Afzal Naik son of Anayat Hussain of Udhampur; Rais Ahmed son of Abdul Latief of Namar, Banihal and Mohammad Yousuf Beg son of Bashir Ahmed of Banihal were discharged from Batote hospital after the first aid.

District Commissioner Ramban, Bashir Ahmed Dar has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the fire incident and appointed Additional Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, Babu Ram as the Inquiry Officer.

He said ex-gratia shall be released in favour of the dependents of the deceased persons as per the SDRF norms only after their confirmed identity.

Sources said the company involved in construction of the tunnel has not installed any type of fire safety system in the barracks.