Chisoti, Aug 16: In the wooded valleys of Kishtwar, people often recall an age-old saying in the Dogri language which roughly translates to ‘’Whom Mata Machail protects, none can harm.” Nowhere did this faith ring truer than in Chisoti village during rescue operations on Friday.

Amid the devastation caused by the cloudburst, Subhash Chandra, who had been running a langar for Mata Machail pilgrims, was rescued alive after being trapped under debris for nearly 30 hours.

“Whom God saves, no one can kill is a saying here. Subhash, who has been serving devotees for so many years, feeding them selflessly, was protected by Mata herself,” said Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma, who had been overseeing the rescue operations in the village.

He said that it is a matter of great happiness that Subhash will again be able to set up the langar and serve Mata’s devotees. “The greatest gift of his life is that Mata saved him.”

Union Minister Jitendra Singh, at a press conference in Jammu, also mentioned about Subhash’s rescue and said “he came out alive. He was part of those running langar”.

Singh said when the cloudburst-triggered flash floods struck the village on August 14, an estimated 200-300 pilgrims were in the langar and about 1,000 to 1,500 were in the area.

Subhash, from Udhampur, has long considered serving the devotees of Mata Machail his duty. Every pilgrimage season, he, along with his other colleagues, used to set up a langar (community kitchen) to feed thousands of weary yatris who trekked through the rugged mountains.

His langar, where hundreds of devotees were being fed daily, was swept away when flash floods occurred in the afternoon. Many pilgrims at the site were buried under logs and rubble.

Rescue teams of the Army, police, NDRF, SDRF and local volunteers were clearing debris near the langar on Friday when they discovered him alive. Four bodies, which were lying around Subhash, were also recovered from the same spot.

“This is the first time in the operation that someone has been rescued alive. It feels like nothing short of a blessing,” an Army official said.

Jammu, Aug 16: The Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu has taken lead in providing world class treatment to victims of Kishtwar cloudburst tragedy, officials said.

“On the night of 14th August, when every Indian was preparing for the celebration of 79th Independence day, a team of medical professionals in GMC was eagerly waiting to receive a horde of ambulances arriving from Kishtwar carrying unfortunate victims who suffered not only physical but mental injuries following a natural disaster of paramount proportions. As soon as the ambulance sirens starting sounding in GMC Jammu emergency, the teams became active. Without losing even a minute, the porters and helpers took the patient trolleys to the triage room where the medical teams immediately started providing medical support and treatment. There was no time to lose, split second decisions were taken. The very sick were put on ventilators. Those requiring emergency surgeries were shifted to operation theatres. Those with superficial injuries were given suitable treatment. Their wounds cleaned and sutured carefully by trained staff. The nursing staff not only provided excellent nursing care but also were sisters, mothers, friends of those who suffered mental and physical trauma. Not only the patients were looked after, their accompanying family members were too given tender care and emotional support by trained staff. Needless to say everything was being closely monitored and done under the expert vision of Heads of departments, Heads of units, Senior professors, GMC administration. The combined teamwork of all including administration, doctors, nursing staff, technical staff, security staff, sanitation staff, operation theatre staff ensured no life was lost due to any laxity. The core treating departments like Orthopaedics, Anesthsia, Surgery were ably supported by others like Neurosurgery, ENT, Dental, Ophthalmology, Medicine, Blood bank, Lab services and others. Not to mention here, the medical engineering departments (mechanical, electrical, civil) ensured seamless civic facilities despite challenges like incessant rains. The clock like precision shown by GMC Jammu staff in providing medical management to the patients is an example of highest professionalism,” Principal & Dean GMC Jammu, Dr Ashutosh Gupta said.

He said there is no doubt that GMC Jammu has proven itself again and again as the leading health provider of the region be it during Operation Sindoor, mass accidents, tragedies etc. GMC Jammu’s expertise to handle such mass medical crises has set a shining example for one and all in medical circles. The leading medical institutes of the region like PGI Chandigarh has appreciated the work done by GMC Jammu’s medical team in handling such mass crises. The Director PGI Chandigarh has applauded Principal GMC Jammu after seeing such spectacular performance.

On 14th fateful night, GMC Jammu received 66 critical patients. On the same night, around 25 major surgeries were performed thus saving precious lives. The medical care continued on the following day too when more surgeries were performed. The un-tiring efforts of GMC’s team has been applauded by all sections of society. The GMC team ensured that there was no need to refer even a single patient to any other higher institute for want of medical expertise. The GMC administration not only ensured highest quality medical care, but also ensured clean and hygienic and friendly environment for patients and their accompanying family members. There were many patients who were loaded with dust, mud in addition to their injuries. The nursing staff did commendable efforts clean them up, gave clean clothes, nursed their wounds and also gave them emotional support. There were many who were brought alone, there were scared children, there were those who had lost their dear ones. The nursing staff adopted them like their own. One could see a staff nursing personally feeding a scared injured child, sponging a boy who was all covered in debris, Dr Gupta added.

GMC Jammu salutes its real heros be it doctors, nurses, technicians, engineers, security, sanitation staff. They are the real role models of the society who deserve all respect and adulations, Dr Gupta further added.

Paddar, Aug 16: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today visited Chisoti village of Paddar in Kishtwar district to take stock of the situation in the aftermath of the recent cloudburst.

Senior officers including the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu; IGP, Jammu; DC, Kishtwar; SSP, Kishtwar and other concerned officers accompanied the Chief Secretary during this visit.

During the visit, the Chief Secretary reviewed the extent of damage to habitations and infrastructure, besides interacting with affected families, local officials, and rescue teams engaged in relief and restoration efforts.

He held intense deliberations with the rescue teams of NDRF, SDRF, local police and security forces there about the kind of measures taken so far. He also took this occasion to talk to local people about the relief operations, health facilities and others being extended to them post this disaster.

The Chief Secretary issued instant instructions for ensuring immediate relief measures, proper rehabilitation of affected families, and early restoration of essential services in the area. He called upon all line departments to work in close coordination to ensure timely response and minimize inconvenience to the public. He impressed upon the Divisional and district administrations to closely monitor the progress and simultaneously inform him about the same on daily basis.

Reassuring the local population, the Chief Secretary affirmed that the government is fully committed to extending every possible support for relief and recovery operations. He directed the concerned authorities to remain vigilant and proactive in addressing the needs of the affected communities.

Kishtwar/Jammu, Aug 16: Explosives were used to blast giant boulders hampering the ongoing rescue and relief operations in the disaster-hit Chisoti village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on the third day on Saturday, officials said.

Army has also deployed additional troops to intensify the efforts, they said.

A total of 60 persons, including three CISF personnel and a Special Police Officer, have died and 82 people were reported missing in the cloudburst and the resultant flash floods that struck the remote village in Padder sub-division on Thursday afternoon. Around 167 people have been rescued so far, some critically injured.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visited Chisoti village on Saturday morning and announced an ex-gratia assistance from the chief minister’s relief fund to the affected families as a “measure of solidarity and immediate relief”. He also assured them long-term support.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh, accompanied by Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, also visited the devastated village late on Friday night and reviewed the ongoing rescue and relief efforts jointly carried out by the Police, Army, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, Border Roads Organisation, civil administration, and local volunteers.

So far, 50 bodies have been identified and handed over to their next of kin after completion of legal formalities.

The disaster struck Chisoti — the last motorable village en route to the Machail Mata temple — at around 12.25 pm on August 14. It flattened a makeshift market, a langar (community kitchen) site prepared for the yatra, and a security outpost.

At least 16 residential houses and government buildings, three temples, four water mills, a 30-metre-long bridge, and over a dozen vehicles were damaged in the flash floods which dumped giant boulders at various spots, especially around the worst-hit langar site.

Racing against time since the chances of digging out the survivors alive fade with every passing hour, the rescuers expedited the operation in the evening by using explosive substances to blast the oversized boulders that could not be shifted with earth-movers or other equipment.

Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, General Officer Commanding of Army’s Delta Force Major General A P S Bal, and CISF Deputy Inspector General M K Yadav also visited the village, while Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar, Jammu Inspector General of Police Bhim Sen Tuti, Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma and Kishtwar Senior Superintendent of Police Naresh Singh are camping in the area to supervise the operation.

The annual Machail Mata yatra, which began on July 25 and was scheduled to conclude on September 5, remained suspended for the third consecutive day on Saturday. The 8.5-kilometre trek to the 9,500-foot-high shrine starts from Chisoti, located about 90 kilometres from Kishtwar town.

Rescue efforts were intensified with the deployment of nearly a dozen earth-movers by the civil administration and the use of specialised equipment and dog squads by the National Disaster Relief Force.

The chief minister, after taking first-hand stock of the devastation, announced that the families of those who lost their lives would receive financial support of Rs 2 lakh each, while those who sustained severe injuries would be given Rs 1 lakh and those with minor injuries Rs 50,000.

For structural damages, he announced Rs 1 lakh for fully damaged houses, Rs 50,000 for severely damaged ones, and Rs 25,000 for partially damaged structures.

The chief minister also met the bereaved families of the deceased and those affected by the tragedy. He prayed for the departed souls, and assured people that his government will extend not only immediate assistance but also long-term rehabilitation to help them rebuild their lives.

Several people in Chisoti village welcomed Abdullah’s visit and expressed hope that he will personally oversee their rehabilitation.

“We feel relieved after the visit of the chief minister, who went door-to-door to meet victims’ families and heard our genuine demands,” said Rangeel Singh, a local resident.

Singh also expressed disappointment over the Union minister, who visited at “the dead of the night and returned without listening to us”.

“We are hopeful that the chief minister will fulfil all our genuine demands, including compensation for the loss, relocation to safer places, and jobs to the next of kin of those killed in the calamity,” he added.