22 families displaced after land sinks in Batote

Many villages without power, DC assures all possible help

Tahir Mushtaq

RAMBAN, Mar 21: Twenty two (22) families in Batote town today abandoned their homes after the area witnessed land sinking due to heavy rainfall across the district.

Three-days of heavy rainfall resulted in total collapse of 16 houses at Sheikh Mohalla in Batote whereas four other houses were partially damaged. The residents of these houses had luckily shifted from these structures before they collapsed.

The houses belonging to Mangtu Sheikh, Ghulam Hussain, Mohammad Naseem, Samdu Sheikh, Dilawar Mohammad, Altaf Hussain, Vishwa Nath Mattu, M Yasin, M  Farooq, M  Issac, M Naseem, M Shabir, Mohammad Lateef, Shakil Ahmed, Zaiba Begum and Mohammad Yousuf have been damaged beyond repair.  

The houses of Roshan Lal Mattu, Nirmal Kour, M Rafiq and Mohammad Lateef have been partially damaged.

Taking stock of the situation, district administration has provided 15 tents and 75 blankets to the landslide victims, besides ordering to supply one month free ration to these families.

Owing to the ongoing sinking of land over one kilometre stretch on which the 11KV transmission line runs also has been damaged.

The damage has caused power failure in Tringla, Amar Cheshma, Ladhwal, Khotri, Barthal and Bhandera. These places are without electricity from Saturday night.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Bashir Ahmed Dar while offering every possible help to the sufferer, asked them to hire house on rent, “which will be paid by the administration”.

Meanwhile Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Ramban, Neelam Kumar Langeh visited the spot and asked the administration to allot 10 marlas of land free of cost to each family and asked Divisional Commissioner, Jammu Pawan Kotwal to rehabilitate them in Jammu Kashmir Tourist Development Corporation (JKTDC) huts for the time being.