Comprehensive compensation likely after rescue teams complete operations and full assessment of losses
Jammu, Aug 19: The Union Government is preparing to announce a comprehensive compensation package for the victims of the recent cloudburst at Chashoti in Kishtwar and the flash floods that devastated Rajbagh and Bagra villages in Kathua district. The relief plan, according to official sources, will be unveiled once rescue operations conclude and a detailed assessment of damages is submitted.
The tragedy at Chashoti on August 14 claimed 63 lives, while many remain untraced. Entire clusters of houses and shops were swept away, leaving families homeless and livelihoods destroyed. In Kathua, where torrential waters struck on August 17, seven people—five of them children—lost their lives, and dozens of structures suffered damages. Officials admitted that chances of retrieving survivors from the debris at Chashoti are growing dim with each passing day, though rescue agencies continue their efforts relentlessly.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has pledged reconstruction support for families whose houses were washed away, while Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Dr. Jitendra Singh, has promised fair compensation for the losses. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has already announced financial assistance from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, assuring it will supplement aid provided under the State Disaster Response Fund norms.
The Centre, however, has chosen to wait for the culmination of rescue operations before finalising the package, citing the need for accurate verification of casualties, injuries, and extent of property loss. Sources indicated that police protocols regarding missing persons will be invoked, declaring the untraced dead even in the absence of recovered bodies, as some are feared to have been swept into the Chenab river.
The government’s compensation plan is expected to be wide-ranging, covering families of the deceased, the injured, and owners of damaged residential and commercial properties. The devastation has prompted a massive mobilisation of resources, with the Army, paramilitary forces including CRPF and CISF, J&K Police, NDRF, SDRF, civil authorities, NGOs, and local volunteers engaged in around-the-clock operations. Their focus remains on tracing the missing, restoring road links, and clearing debris from affected settlements.
The full scale of destruction at Chashoti and Kathua is likely to be known only after the ongoing operations conclude, at which point the Central Government is expected to formally declare the relief package.
