Jammu: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday visited the fire-ravaged village in Kishtwar district where dozens of houses were gutted in a massive blaze, and pledged more relief for the rehabilitation of the devastated families.
A major fire in the densely populated Mulwarwan village on Monday consumed most of the residential houses, leaving over 100 families homeless ahead of the harsh winter when the area is cut off for months together owing to heavy snowfall.
Accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, Abdullah reviewed the damage and interacted with the fire sufferers.
“It is my responsibility to reach out to the people and convey to them that they are not alone in this difficult time. It is our responsibility to help and rehabilitate them,” Abdullah told reporters in the village.
Abdullah, who took over as the first chief minister of the Union territory on Wednesday, said though the administration had already provided some sort of relief to the victims, he had passed directions for enhancing the relief.
“We have also initiated the steps to seek relief from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund and are hoping to get the same. Additionally, we will also try to provide more relief,” the chief minister said.
Abdullah said the administration is also contemplating providing them help under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) so that they can raise the structures again.
“It is my duty to reconstruct their homes… homes will be rebuilt along with concrete bathrooms,” he said.
Abdullah said he has not come to the village for politics. “We have to pull out the people from this destruction and we will be doing that,” he said.
Earlier, the chief minister addressed two separate gatherings in the village and announced the setting up of two fire stations and free ration for the affected families.
“First, we have to rehabilitate you and make arrangements of tin-sheets and free ration so that none of you die of starvation during winter months,” he said.
Abdullah said it is not for the first time that fire has destroyed houses in the area. “We have to summon fire tenders from Anantnag (in Kashmir) and it took six-and-a-half hours for them to reach here. It was not the fire-tenders who doused the fire but it was people who dismantled their homes to restrict the fire otherwise nothing could have been saved.
“We will set up two fire stations in Warwan and Marwah and also deploy an ambulance to timely tackle such unfortunate incidents in future,” Abdullah said.
The new government will help ensure that people of the village rebuild their lives, he said.
The chief minister also talked about the backwardness of the village and malfunctioning of communication towers and said “it is our duty to hold your hands and make you march ahead with the rest of the people.”
Referring to people’s demands highlighted by newly elected local MLA Pyare Lal Sharma, including a special recruitment drive and tunnel to provide all-weather road connectivity to Marwah-Warwan, Abdullah said his government will try its best to tap the tourism potential of the area to generate ample job opportunities for the youth.
“We will prepare a detailed project report for a tunnel and will submit the same for sanction to the central government. We will try to address all your issues in the coming five years,” Abdullah said. (With inputs from PTI)
